Contemptuous remarks: Jahangir gets time to tender written response

LAHORE:

Asma Jahangir, counsel for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief, on Monday sought time from the Lahore High Court (LHC) full bench to submit a written reply with regard to her contemptuous remarks against the judges.

She was arguing before a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar, that took petitions seeking registration of a high-treason case against MQM chief Altaf Hussain for his speeches targeting state institutions.

The court accepted her request and adjourned the hearing until April 18. The bench also deferred proceedings on a contempt application filed against Jahangir and some MQM leaders.

Earlier, Jahangir had refused to tender a written reply over her remarks critical of the court. The bench had barred print and electronic media organisations from covering Hussain’s speeches.

Advocate Azhar Siddique and Advocate Aftab Virk, the petitioners’ counsel, had submitted that Jahangir had used contemptuous language in referring to the case during a television programme. They had also presented a recording of the programme. They said it had become a routine for Jahangir to ridicule court orders.

When asked for an explanation, Jahangir had expressed regret about her remarks about the order. However, she had refused to tender a written apology. She had also said the order banning the MQM chief’s media coverage was based on faulty reasoning. “My [verbal] apology is not for the judges on the bench. I’ve done so in view of the dignity of the institution [judiciary],” she had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2016.