Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials facing contempt charges breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) finally pardoned them.
For over four months, five CDA officials faced an uncertain future. While the IHC had barred them from meeting former chairman prime minister’s task force on Islamabad, Fasial Sakhi Butt, in their official capacity, they had continued to see him. During the proceeding on Wednesday, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accepted their unconditional apology and pardoned them.
On May 14, the same bench had restrained Butt from interfering in CDA affairs while hearing a land allotment case filed by Niazullah Niazi. After reports of the top officials of CDA meeting with Butt surfaced in the media despite the court’s restraining orders, they were charged with contempt.
On the last date of hearing, the five CDA officials — Planning Director General Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu, Finance Director General Imran Shah, Municipal Administration Director Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Chief Complaint Officer Haseen Raza Zaidi and Staff Director Riaz Ahmed Randhawa — had tendered an unconditional apology, but the court had deferred the matter till September 26.
Meanwhile, during the course of hearing, Justice Siddiqui referred the contempt case against Butt to IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Iqbal Hameedur Rehman. The court observed that Butt did not tender an unconditional apology and had also filed a reference against Justice Siddiqui before the Supreme Judicial Council, which is why his contempt case has been transferred to the CJ.
Earlier, CDA officials had informed the court they were pressurised and harassed by Butt and some Pakistan Peoples Party workers. On July 4, Sandhu was arrested from the courtroom and sent to Adiala Jail for a day for his contemptuous attitude during court proceedings.
Sandhu had said Butt telephoned him at work and asked why he was not “getting things done” for his supporters, before threatening to have him removed if he did not comply with ‘requests’. He had alleged that members of the ruling party have a great influence on the CDA affairs. Mansoor Ahmed Khan endorsed the statement, alleging that he was also victimised by the same PPP group, and that party workers claiming loyalty to Butt were treating CDA officials like their “personal staff”.
In answer to Justice Siddiqui’s question, Khan had said Butt attended a CDA function where ex-PM Gilani appointed him as the chief coordinator on Islamabad affairs, a day after the court suspended his appointment.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2012.
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