Contempt petition: LHC issues fresh notices to Zardari's principal secretary
A contempt petition was filed against President Zardari, for allegedly violating court orders to give up political activities from the presidency or the office of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman.
The hearing was underway by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justices Nasir Saeed Sheikh, Sheikh Najamul Hasan, Ijazul Ahsan. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah could not appear for the hearing because he was on leave.
Wasim Sajjad was representing the federation in the court in today’s hearing. He requested the court to extend the hearing date, because the federation was still deliberating if the case merits a hearing or not.
The chief justice told Sajjad that if the president has any objections, he can present a lawyer in the court in this regard.
Petitioner's counsel AK Dogar argued that the case had already been prolonged and that the court needed to make a “swift decision” now.
Justice Bandial summoned Attorney General Irfan Qadir for the next hearing. AG Qadir is currently present in the Quetta Registry of the Supreme Court for the Balochistan security case. The chief justice also ruled that the federal government should also be made a party in the case.
The additional AG informed the court that Qadir will appear in the next hearing to assist the court.
At the last hearing on June 27, a three-member bench had given Zardari until September 5 to disassociate the presidency from political activities.
The petition was moved by Munir Ahmad through Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique and Dogar.
The petitioner submitted that the use of the presidency for partisan political activities was illegal and amounted to showing contempt for the court orders of May 12, 2011.
COMMENTS (21)
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@zulfiqar ali:
Like millions of Pakistanis my support is with you. Insha Allah Pakistan will be successful and face every challenge in future.@khalid:
President cannot hold two Constitutional posts simultaneously! The head of a political party, CEO of a company, trustee of a fund etc are not Constitutional positions. Quaid e Azam and ZAB were both head of Muslim League and PPP while holding the offices of Governor General and President (till 1973) respectively.
While Musharraf was the defacto head of PMLQ.
@Mirza: I agree with you and it is my opinion that these all politicized Judiciary should be Terminated and Chance to be given Neutral Judges who are Sincere and Loyal to Pakistan not to Political Parties.
Hamid HK
@khalid: All Supporters of PPP and Zardari are not writing comments, these are the General Peoples of Pakistan who are observing the Behavior of Judiciary and Media against a Large Political Party of Pakistan and it is true, that is Pakistan Peoples Party. Pakistani Public is not so innocent and Foolish, they know the Culprits who want to Derail the Democracy and Unstable the Government. Be conscious my dear......
Regards,
Hamid Hassan Khan Lahore Cantt .
It is a new Drama on the Stage of LHC.
Courts have become political tools. The institution has been defamed and has lost its credibility specially supreme court and LHC.
Alas our courts in Pakistan have nothing to do with public grievances but are playing politics especially with PPP government
@khalid: The educated people of Pakistan support the policies of PPP and President Zardari Inshallah we are looking down fall of Gen. Zia's followers
yes PPP has lots of supporters and why not ? they have the right to do so and the numbers to elect PPP to power again and again @khalid:
This certainly is not a contempt case. How was it then admitted.
President should not be head of a political party. That is a parliamentary tradition, not a law.
I believe all this kind of judges have joined PML N, they are having right to join poilitical parties but after retirement or resignation
This should be obvious to all that these courts are working to someone's agenda,A total disregard for parliament and elected president on the behest of PMLN Courts are guilty of repeated contemp and they have made a mockery of judicial process No shame on this open display of bias ,loss of integrity,and credibility of supreme and high courts
Looks like PPP/Zardari supporters are writting the comments...how can you support balatant wrong doing..President can not hold two offices, he should not turn the presidency into the head office of a political party..it is as simple as that.
Which orders were passed by the court and violated by the President? This petition mafia headed by Mr. Dogar (no matter who ask him to do these things) is creating confrontation among institutions; actually they should be given a shut up call. I believe the court knows what to do in this situation, but what has been done so far only casts a poor reflection on the highest judicial office of the Province. And indeed why only SC and Lahore High Court take up these issues, it is not good for both SC and LHC because these cases make both the courts and their component judges controversial.
Contempt, contemp contempt and that too only about top pp political elite. What about 3 million pending cases in Pakistani courts. I do not understand to whom these judges are trying to fool.
Contempt proceeding for an order which was never made!
This entire proceeding is malafide. The LHC verdict never ordered CJ and to that effect wrote an express clarification that "it was not a case for disqualification of the president, nor is it a case for prohibitory order because the president’s activities are not barred under law."
http://tribune.com.pk/story/167158/dual-office-case-lhc-orders-zardari-to-suspend-political-activities/
The witch hunt against PPP continues, while LHC does not have time to hear the appeal of Aasia Bibi it has time to waste on such illegal petitions.
One wonders why only LHC and SC are so much eager to remove head of the state. Judges of both these courts must be knowing that they are being observed by media and all those persons who see these actions as victimizing and laced with bias. There is a dire need to remove all those judges who are either giving political judgments or are very closely related with important persons in our system.
When this guy does not listen to SC, do we expect he will listen to te HC? Shame.