Rana Shamim challenges indictment in Islamabad High Court

Former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim has challenged his indictment in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Aaj News reported on Tuesday.

On January 20, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had indicted Shamim in a case pertaining to allegations against former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar.

In an intra-court appeal filed today, Shamim said that indicting him alone is against Article 10-A of the Constitution and discriminatory. He further said that there was nothing on record to prove that he provided the affidavit.

He requested the IHC to declare the indictment order null and void.

Accusations against ex-CJP

A story published in The News stated that in 2018 Nisar influenced judicial proceedings to prolong the detention of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz following their conviction in the Avenfield apartments reference.

Have not seen the affidavit, former GB judge Shamim tells IHC

As per the alleged affidavit, Shamim claims Nasir had travelled to GB for vacations in 2018 and on one occasion appeared “very disturbed” while speaking to his registrar on the phone, asking him to get in touch with a high court judge.

Have not seen the affidavit, former GB judge Shamim tells IHC

Shamim said that Nisar was finally able to get in touch with the judge and told him that Nawaz and Maryam must remain in jail until elections are over, after which “he became calm and happily demanded another cup of tea”.

According to the document, Shamim said he told Nisar that Nawaz had been falsely implicated, to which the former CJP replied: “Rana Sahib the chemistry of Punjab is different from GB.”

CJP Saqib Nisar rubbishes allegations

Former chief justice Nisar has rejected the allegations of the former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan. He, on telephone, told media persons that the accusations levelled against him were “contrary to the facts”; therefore, he did not want to respond to the “plain lies” of the ex-GB chief justice.

The ex-CJP said Shamim had asked him for an extension but he did not accept his request, adding that the ex-GB CJ had also complained to him about the same.