Criminal Procedure: Plea filed against Sanaullah at LHC

LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court seeking a criminal case against Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for comments about former federal law minister Dr Babar Awan. Petitioner Advocate Ansar Mehmood submitted that the provincial law minister had declared Awan ‘wajibul qatl’, thus violating Article 9 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and liberty to all citizens. “Therefore it falls under the Criminal Procedure Code,” he said. He argued that Sanaullah’s statement had damaged Pakistan’s image internationally and led to serious consequences within the country, especially if Awan was now to get hurt. He said it had also hurt the lawyers’ community, as while making his comments Sanaullah had said that he was making them as a lawyer.  Mehmood asked the court to summon the minister to explain his remarks and to instruct the provincial and federal governments to take action against him and register a criminal case. The Punjab governor and the PPP have already asked the provincial government to sack the minister for the comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2011.