ISLAMABAD: Senator Faisal Vawda has prayed before the Supreme Court to withdraw the show-cause notice issued for ridiculing the judiciary in the press conference.
Vawda, on Tuesday, filed his reply along with the transcripts of speeches by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl(JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Raoof Hasan.
He argued that other people had also made similar remarks, however, they had not faced similar repercussions. The senator requested the court to show restraint by dismissing the case, stating his remarks were motivated by concerns for the country’s wellbeing.
Vawda stated that it is very painful for him that he has been widely reported to have been called “proxy” in national and international media by one of the judges of the Supreme Court despite his utmost sincerity for the people of Pakistan.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and comprising Justice Irfan Saadat and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan on May 17 after hearing the suo motu, which Supreme Court took on their press conferences dated May 15 and 16, issued show cause notices to Senator Faisal Vawda and MNA Mustafa Kamal.
The court noted that in the press conferences both parliamentarians apparently levelled serious and malicious allegations against the judiciary and passed comments against the judge. It noted that the press conferences were live-streamed on social media and those were also published in the newspapers.
The bench also issued notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan under Rule 7(2) Order XXVII of Supreme Court Rules, 1980, saying he would conduct the proceeding. It directed the SC office to send copies of the order to AGP Mansoor Usman Awan.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was ordered to submit the recording of the press conferences and the transcript which include the questions and answers.
Vawda maintained that Shehbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Raoof Hasan had also criticised the judiciary in strong terms.
He pointed out that Hasan had threatened judges, while Shehbaz labelled judges as “black sheep”, and Fazl issued threats in a speech outside the SC building.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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