Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal. PHOTO: FILE
The three-member bench, headed by Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, also directed the minister to submit a written response about his “contemptuous statement”.
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Subsequently, the court ordered staff to screen the clip of the minister’s controversial statement on projector.
The interior minister tried to explain his position: “I can’t even think about disgracing the courts … I was just responding to the chief justice’s use of the word ‘Shikwa’ (complaint). In response, a member of the bench observed that the minister’s motivation had actually caused the Kasur incident in which derogatory language was used against the judiciary.
Ahsan responded by saying that this was unthinkable.
When a judge asked what action he had taken against elements involved in the Kasur incident, Ahsan said that the incident had occurred in provincial domain.
He, however, said that if the incident had occurred in Islamabad, he would have taken strict action.
Ahsan pointed out that strict action had been taken against a group of protestors who gathered outside the Supreme Court, adding that all of them had been booked.
When Justice Naqvi asked about their status, Ahsan replied they would all be caught soon. The judge angrily retorted: “You don’t have enough information despite being a minister.”
Justice Naqvi then asked the minister if he knew about Article 19 of the Constitution, the minister replied that he had studied engineering.
“I wish I could have been a lawyer,” he said.
Justice Naqvi reprimanded the minister when he tried to explain his position again.
The judge asked Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioner’s counsel, to read Article 19 so the minister could know about the respect of state institutions.
The minister said: “I reiterate that I hold the judiciary in high esteem and cannot even think of intentionally disgracing the courts and other state institutions”.
Justice Naqvi rejected the request of the minister’s lawyer for not running the video clip in courtroom.
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He said: “We just want to see it to broaden our knowledge. Under the Constitution, the conduct of a superior court judge could not even be discussed in parliament … how can you do this in public?”
Later, the court directed the minister’s counsel to submit the written reply and adjourned the hearing till June 5.
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