Allegations against ex-CJP: Rana Shamim to face contempt charges if he fails to submit affidavit today

ISLAMABAD: Former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Rana Shamim would face a contempt charges if he fails to submit the original affidavit today to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today.

Following the allegations of judicial manipulation against ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar by Rana Shamim, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is likely to indict former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in a contempt of court case today if he failed to submit the original affidavit.

Ahmed Hassan Rana, an advocate of the Supreme Court and Rana Shamim’s son, had earlier admitted in a Geo News programme Naya Pakistan on December 10 that his father will definitely see the consequences if he fails to submit the original affidavit to the court. He further said that he would face contempt charges in case of non-submission of the affidavit.

Analysts expressed their views, saying that the production of an affidavit by Rana Shamim will ascertain the originality of the ‘leaked affidavit’ of Ansar Abbasi’s report in The News.

The accuracy of leaked affidavit’s content with original one would prevent Ansar Abbasi, Jang Group owner Mir Shakilur Rehman and editor in-charge from facing contempt charges by the IHC for publishing a report without scrutnising the facts.

News 360 exclusive interview: Ahmed Hassan Rana on Rana Shamim’s affidavit case in IHC

The revelations had been made in a ‘leaked’ affidavit that was published in a report of Ansar Abbasi, an investigative reporter of ‘The News’, on November 10 to which Shamim’s counsel admitted that the content of the ‘leaked’ affidavit was indeed accurate.

However, the former GB CJ claimed during a hearing at the IHC that he had not seen the copy of the affidavit that was submitted to the court.

Later, the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had observed the replies submitted by the alleged contemnors ‘evasive’ in a four-page order issued on December 10.

“The veracity of the contents of the affidavit published in the newspaper is questionable and the facts narrated therein do not appear to be probable even to an ordinary person of prudent mind.”

The court observed that there are reasonable grounds that the contents of the affidavit are false and apparently, good intentions are not seen behind it.

News 360 anaylsis report: Biggest scandal in the judicial history of Pakistan

The order read, “The contents cast unfounded aspersions on the integrity, independence and impartiality of this Court and its judges besides prejudicing the right of fair trial of the parties in the pending appeals and tends to interfere with the administration of justice”

The IHC CJ Athar Minallah directed Rana Shamim to produce the original affidavit before the court as it is crucial for him to place it on record.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had given a ‘last opportunity’ to the former GB chief judge on December 7 to produce the original affidavit as ‘it has become crucial for Rana Shamim to place on record the original affidavit’.

Rana Shamim had levelled serious allegations against ex-CJP Mian Saqib Nisar of committing judicial manipulation by making a call to an IHC judge in which he had asked him to deny bails to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz besides seeking to ensure to keep them in prison until 2018 general elections.