Rana Shamim given last chance to submit affidavit

Former G-B SC CJ asked for three weeks to consult his lawyer

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Supreme Court Rana Shamim one last chance to file affidavit in contempt of court case.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the contempt case against Shamim. The senior judge said that his lawyer is on a two-week bed rest so he should be given time to file his affidavit after review.

He mentioned that his affidavit was sent to his lawyer, which he did not finalise. The chief justice said that Shamim made the allegations in an affidavit.

“No action was taken after the affidavit was leaked, Pakistan's two leading newspapers published your affidavit, did you send them any notice?” he asked.

Shamim said that he did not make any allegation in the affidavit nor did he give the affidavit to anyone. Those who published the affidavit can tell how they got the affidavit, he said, adding that he will also send notices to newspapers.

The senior judge asked the court to give him three weeks so his lawyer's condition improves, and then he will consult with him.

Read IHC declares plea filed by Rana Shamim's family non-maintainable

The chief justice told him to change his lawyer then.

Shamim said that if his lawyer does not recover in two weeks then he will change the lawyer.

The chief justice asked the attorney general to tell him how to proceed in this case.

The attorney general said that when an intra-court appeal can be filed with the signature of a lawyer, then why a response cannot.

The court then adjourned the hearing till April 4, giving Shamim one last chance to submit his affidavit.

It is worth mentioning here that the senior judge had alleged in an affidavit that former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had called a judge of the IHC, asking for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and Vice President Maryam Nawaz to be stopped from being released from prison until the 2018 general elections.