ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is likely to indict former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Rana Shamim, Mir Shakilur Rahman, Ansar Abbasi and other accused in the contempt of court case today.
In the previous hearing, the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had remarked that there was an impression that the accused have their roles to compromise the court reputation after the publication of Rana Shamim’s affidavit in the newspaper and initiated the contempt proceedings in the case.
Justice Minallah had remarked that the court was going to present itself for self-accountability regardless of what is being discussed outside the court premises.
Rana Shamim had opened the parcel of affidavit before the CJ IHC and confirmed its content. AG Khalid Jawed Khan had argued that the parcel has only a stamp of court but not sealed contrary to Rana Shamim’s claims.
The high court had decided to indict the accused including Rana Shamim, The News investigative reporter Ansar Abbasi, Mir Shakilur Rahman and others in the contempt case besides appointing Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan as the prosecutor.
PML-N on IHC radar
On December 28, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had also come under Islamabad High Court (IHC) radar during the proceedings of a contempt case against former GB CJ Rana Shamim.
Affidavit of Rana Shamim, situation becomes serious for Jang Group and ex-judge
During the hearing of the Rana Shamim contempt case, the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had remarked that the court was fully aware of those who could get the benefit from the affidavit.
It came after the emergence of the reports indicating that Rana Shamim signed his affidavit at the office of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London. The affidavit signing report was neither accepted nor denied by PML-N and Rana Shamim
Rana Shamin had said in a statement that he signed the affidavit alone in which he accused former CJP Mian Saqib Nisar of manipulating the judicial matters to deny bails of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz.
Earlier on December 27, Rana Shamim had opened his original affidavit after confirming before the court that it was the same documents he sealed himself.
On December 13, Rana Shamim had submitted the affidavit to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) following a warning of contempt case if he fails to submit the original affidavit.
Analysts had said 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 the leaked affidavit’s content with the 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 scrutinising the facts.
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.
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.