Contempt proceedings: Former Islamabad task force boss quizzed

Hearing cut short due to defence lawyer’s engagements in SC.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday asked the former chairman of the prime minister’s task force on Islamabad about how many projects he had inaugurated and how many meetings he had presided over. He was being questioned in a contempt of court case that had been filed against him.

On May 14 this year, the court had restrained Faisal Sakhi Butt from interfering in Capital Development Authority (CDA) affairs and also directed the authority’s officials not to meet him.

Butt had been summoned in person during a hearing on September 11.

He appeared before the court along with his lawyer, Advocate Dr Basit. Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui asked Butt how many board meeting he had chaired as chairman of the task force, to which Butt replied that he was not authorised to hold board meetings with the CDA.

Soon after, his counsel requested an adjournment as he had to appear before the Supreme Court and wanted to argue the case in his client’s presence. The court accepted his plea and directed Butt to answer the remaining questions during the next hearing.

The court also directed CDA Legal Adviser Ramzan Chaudhry to submit the detailed minutes of the meetings chaired by Butt.

Roads and Market Maintenance Director Ali Anwar Gopang informed the court he completed 141 works on the direction of Butt during his tenure as chairman of the task force. The court directed him to submit details of these works in the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2012.