Journalist requests IHC CJ to amend affidavit ruling

Reporter says it was never his intent to influence pending cases, cast aspersions on judges

ISLAMABAD:

Journalist Ansar Abbasi, who is to be indicted on January 7 for reporting on an affidavit that accused former chief justice Saqib Nisar of manipulating the case against ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday to amend its order.

In a 12-page judgement, released a day earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said the journalists "have also implied that the contents of the document were true because otherwise, in the public interest, the news report would not have been published".

In a plea filed today, Abbasi requested the IHC CJ "to delete the relevant paragraph". He said as per the order the court asked whether "we would report affidavits based on false facts to influence the court proceedings".

As per the ruling, "our response to this question is that we will report [such news] in the public interest".

Abbasi said he has never said anything like that, adding that this was probably due to a clerical error or miscommunication on his part. "I can never think of saying something like that," he added.

Read 'Why should IHC probe audiotape if parties ‘not interested'

He said he only reported the existence of the affidavit as the report published in the newspaper never claimed the contents of the document were true.

Abbasi said he published the story in good faith and added that it was not his aim to cast aspersions on judges or influence the proceedings of pending cases.

Judgment on affidavit

On Friday, the IHC said that the affidavit “appeared to be an attempt to influence the proceedings, obstruct and interfere with the due administration of justice”, and maintained that publishing of the contentious affidavit, indeed, merited contempt proceedings.

In the written order, the chief justice noted that the questionable contents of the affidavit, the timing, the place of its execution and then its mysterious leak followed by a hasty publication “had likely profound consequences for the proceedings pending before the Court relating to the appeals preferred by the two persons named therein”.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah said the publication and the contents of the affidavit could be prejudicial to the right of fair trial of the two potential beneficiaries named therein and whose appeals were pending and fixed for hearing on November 17.