Contempt of court application: IHC issues notice to DG ISI Zaheerul Islam

Contempt application had been filed by an inspector of the agency over promotion issue.

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notice to director general (DG) Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in response to a contempt application filed by an inspector of the authority seeking contempt of court proceedings against the spy-agency chief for not complying with a court order.

Chief Justice IHC Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi issued notice to DG ISI Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam and sought his reply on September 23. The court passed the order in response to contempt application filed by Inspector Abdul Rahim.



Advocate Rehan ud Din Khan, the counsel for the petitioner maintained that on June 10, 2013 IHC had restrained ISI to take action against his client after he had filed a petition seeking promotion according to merit. He contended that instead of compliance to the court orders the respondent threatened his client with dire consequences.

Previously, in June this year, civilian officials of the spy-agency approached the IHC complaining that the process of their promotion was discriminatory. Some claimed they had been waiting for their promotions for 23 years.



The petitioner’s counsel argued that respondents had asked him that he had violated the provision of Officials Secret Act 1923 by approaching the court. He alleged that two ISI officials Lt Col Imran Daud Khan, and Maj Faheem Raza called his client many times pressing him to withdraw the case. He requested the court to start contempt proceedings against the officials. Advocate Khurram Hashmi, the counsel for the ISI director general, appeared before the court and will submit his reply on September 23.

Over 34 civilian inspectors had filed petitions in IHC this year against the promotion policy of the agency, claiming that it was discriminatory.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2013.