Court notice to Pak PM for ‘anti-judiciary’ speech

Lahore, January 13

A Pakistani court has issued a notice to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for allegedly making an anti-judiciary speech in which he termed the Panama papers verdict a “piece of trash”, according to a media report.

Advocate Azhar Siddiqi filed the petition in the Lahore High Court, stating that Abbasi’s comments on the judgement amounts to committing contempt of court, Dawn News reported.

Presenting his case in the court of Justice Shahid Kareem, the petitioner said by making such an inflammatory statement, Abbasi was trying to make the judiciary controversial.

He said earlier ousted PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam had openly criticised the apex court and its judges in their speeches, and tried to whip up public sentiment against the judiciary.

He said now Abbasi had also started talking against the apex court, in violation of the oath he took when he assumed the office of prime minister. He urged the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Abbasi and said Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority should be directed to stop news channels from airing the PM’s speeches targeting the judiciary. The court issued notices to Abbasi, the federal government and Pemra and sought their replies by the next hearing scheduled for January 15. — PTI