‘Serious matter’: LHC rules against president being ‘publicly political’

The federation counsel criticises the media for misreporting president’s conduct.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled on Friday that the private life of President Asif Ali Zardari is not open to scrutiny though he is accountable for all his public sphere activities – which are a “serious matter” if they are political in nature.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial read out the ruling during the hearing of a petition which sought contempt of court proceedings against the president, for not complying with an LHC judgment issued on May 12, 2011, which declared political activities by the president unconstitutional.

A five-member full bench also issued notice to the president on a fresh application filed in the main petition questioning the alleged political activities carried out by President Zardari during his recent visit to Lahore. Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh, Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah are the other members of the bench.

The bench further asked Advocate Wasim Sajjad, counsel for the federation, to explain the steps which the president intended to take to avoid political action in future.

The chief justice observed that recent political activities of the president during his Lahore visit, as pointed out by the petitioner, were a “serious matter” of which the court could take notice.

Media under fire

The federation’s counsel argued that the media had been misreporting the president’s activities. After the undertaking submitted by him at the last hearing, no political meeting was held in the presidency. “In a private capacity, the president could meet political personalities and also deal with political issues. Such ‘private activities’ of the president could not be questioned by courts.

He said in the country’s history no president could keep himself away from political controversies.

When inquired by the bench, the counsel expressed his inability to confirm as to whether the president would refrain from indulging in political activities or meetings with political personalities in the public arena.

Therefore, the bench directed him to seek out a clear agenda from the president on the point by the next hearing on March 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2013.