The Supreme Court will review a contempt of court petition on Monday filed against Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Athar Abbas for alleged interference in the missing prisoners’ case.
A three-member bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will resume the hearing of 11 ‘missing’ prisoners of Adiala Jail.
The petition, filed by Advocate Tariq Asad, requests the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against the army general for his alleged interference in keeping 11 ‘missing’ prisoners of Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail in illegal custody.
Asad is also the lawyer for the prisoners, four of whom died in the custody of spy agencies. In his petition, he stated that despite the matter being sub judice with the apex court, Maj Gen Abbas had issued a press release to the media, in which he distorted facts and gave the impression that the accused were dealt with appropriately.
According to Asad, the press release stated that the prisoners were criminals involved in heinous crimes and were responsible for a large number of innocent deaths in Hamza Camp and Kamra base attacks.
The petitioner said that Maj Gen Abbas also gave contemptuous remarks on trial courts, which, he added, is tantamount to interfering with the course of judicial proceedings.
He claimed that the contents of the press release were false and the respondents – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) – were continuously portraying a false picture through the media to undermine the authority of courts and prevent provision of justice.
Asad claimed he decided to file the petition after Huzaifa, his client and petitioner in the missing prisoners’ case, died from a heart attack on February 15.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2012.
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