Contempt of court
The PM and his team will need to explain to all of us why this was the case and what needs to happen next.
The much anticipated court hearing involving contempt of court charges against the prime minister held on February 13, brought people in droves to gather around their television sets. As it happened, following all the hoopla, things ended on a rather anticlimatic note — with the PM, who pleaded not guilty to violating Article 204 of the Constitution, pertaining of course to contempt of court, formally indicted. The expectation that he could resign or be disqualified on the spot — being an unrealistic one — quickly fizzled out as the proceedings went ahead.
While the contempt charges — stemming from the government’s failure to write a letter to the Swiss authorities — still constitutes a serious charge, the fierce fury that originally surrounded the matter seems to be fading away. The next date for the hearing has been set for February 22. Not much can be expected to happen till the end of this month, which is when the PM and the government are to present the relevant documents regarding their case. As the matter drags on, the spectators seem to be losing interest. The Punjab governor has pointed out that a very similar case has been raised before against Nawaz Sharif, with nothing much becoming of it. The engagements of the PM’s counsel Aitzaz Ahsan, who is also a contender for Senate elections, means that nothing will happen very quickly. Thus far, we appear to have reached a lull in the proceedings of the case.
But during this quiescent time, the complexities of the matter need to be considered. After all, this is not theatre, but a matter which involves the law of the land and the dictates of the Constitution. An order was given by the highest Court of the land and it was not followed. The PM and his team will need to explain to all of us why this was the case and what needs to happen next. The essential order under which the State works needs to be kept intact to set a precedent — after all, a PM being placed on trial for contempt hardly builds confidence in the institutions to work smoothly.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2012.
While the contempt charges — stemming from the government’s failure to write a letter to the Swiss authorities — still constitutes a serious charge, the fierce fury that originally surrounded the matter seems to be fading away. The next date for the hearing has been set for February 22. Not much can be expected to happen till the end of this month, which is when the PM and the government are to present the relevant documents regarding their case. As the matter drags on, the spectators seem to be losing interest. The Punjab governor has pointed out that a very similar case has been raised before against Nawaz Sharif, with nothing much becoming of it. The engagements of the PM’s counsel Aitzaz Ahsan, who is also a contender for Senate elections, means that nothing will happen very quickly. Thus far, we appear to have reached a lull in the proceedings of the case.
But during this quiescent time, the complexities of the matter need to be considered. After all, this is not theatre, but a matter which involves the law of the land and the dictates of the Constitution. An order was given by the highest Court of the land and it was not followed. The PM and his team will need to explain to all of us why this was the case and what needs to happen next. The essential order under which the State works needs to be kept intact to set a precedent — after all, a PM being placed on trial for contempt hardly builds confidence in the institutions to work smoothly.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2012.