Another petition against Nawaz sent to larger bench

Court urged to ban media outlets from providing coverage to former PM

LAHORE: Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh of Lahore High Court sent a petition seeking a ban on the broadcast of “anti-judiciary speeches” by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to a three member bench. The petition urged a ban on the speeches in the same stead as the one imposed on providing coverage to MQM-London Chief Altaf Hussain.

Justice Mamoon took up the petition filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafri who argued that a ban should imposed on broadcasting the anti-judiciary speeches of the former PM. Justice Mamoon sent the petition to a three-member bench which had already been formed to hear several petitions of the same nature.

In his petition, he pleaded with the court that the former PM had been delivering anti-judiciary speeches since the Supreme Court disqualified him after the Panama Papers’ case. He said the former PM‘s speeches amounted to contempt of court.

He contended that the former PM was inciting people and this was tantamount to treason. The barrister stated that this was harmful to the integrity of and prosperity of this country. He further contended that broadcasting and publication of such speeches was a violation of the Constitution. He prayed that the court ban the broadcasting or publication of such matter; the same way MQM-London Altaf Hussain Chief was banned.



Munir Ahmad, a local citizen, had moved a petition through Advocate Azhar Siddique and argued that the PML-N leaders had been delivering anti-judiciary speeches since the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. He submitted that Pemra had intentionally allowed the broadcast of hate speech and contemptuous remarks on television channels. He added that the regulatory authority failed to play its role in ensuring that such speeches were not covered.

The counsel said the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was now an ordinary citizen as he neither held a public office nor was he member of a political party in light of the court judgment.

He argued that Nawaz Sharif and other leaders of the ruling party been trying to discredit the Supreme Court’s judgment.

He pointed out that Pemra had failed to act as an independent regulator and instead became a subordinate body of the government. He said officials of the body should ensure that they protect the citizens of Pakistan and the country’s institutions rather than show loyalty to a particular political party.

Azhar said PEMRA was bound to perform its duties with due diligence in order to protect state institutions as well as the dignity and integrity of courts. He said PEMRA had the powers to bar the media houses from airing anything which was against the law and offensive to state institutions.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2018.