PHOTO: IHC WEBSITE
The court also asked the AG to verify her claims that she had missed a hearing on August 24, 2015 because she was in a standing committee meeting. The record would be presented before the court at the next hearing, scheduled for September 14.
Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi had issued bailable arrest warrants for Riaz after she failed to appear in court on August 24 in connection with a plea filed by Taj Traders and others seeking court intervention in payment of their dues.
According to the petitioners, they supplied furniture to various FDE-run schools in 2012 but their dues had not been cleared. They said Riaz was delaying the payment on one pretext or the other.
Riaz was briefly arrested from the courtroom on August 25 for her contemptuous attitude and “inappropriate language” before the court. She was later released after submitting separate surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.
When the case was taken up on Friday, Riaz submitted a cheque before the court clearing three-years-old dues of Taj Traders. In response to a show-cause notice issued to her earlier, Riaz submitted her written reply stating that she was busy in a parliamentary standing committee meeting and no one had informed her about the case.
Among other things, the DG landed herself in hot water after she allegedly said “justice is on sale in courts” while being escorted by police officials from the courtroom on August 25. The court called her back and sought explanation but she immediately denied passing any such remarks.
On August 25, the court asked Riaz if she had ever appeared before any court; she denied. It is interesting to note that Riaz was granted stay in a matter by the same court and later she rejoined the FDE as its DG after the Supreme Court gave a verdict in her favour.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2015.
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