SHC dismisses PPP legislators’ petition against Mirza

Karachi
The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed a petition on Wednesday that sought an injunction to restrain former home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza from making “derogatory” remarks against Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari in the media.
The court observed that the petition, filed by MPAs Tariq Masood Arain and Imdad Ali Pitafi of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was not maintainable as the petitioners themselves were not aggrieved by the act of the respondent.
It said the persons affected by Mirza’s statement could file a suit for defamation.
In their petition, the lawmakers had said Mirza passed disparaging and derogatory remarks against Zardari in his interviews on a number of private TV channels. They feared that Mirza’s foul language, as well as his “anti-national and anti-state” attitude, was likely to incite violence or disturb the law and order.
The legislators said the ex-home minister was removed from the party after he insisted his “pick and choose policy” should be adopted. They alleged that his acts aimed to cause the maximum possible loss to the reputation of the former president.
They said there was no lawful justification for using the print and electronic media against Zardari when there was “no iota of evidence against him”. They said Mirza was continuously violating Pemra laws, but no action was being taken against him or the TV channels for violating the laws.
The petitioners pleaded with the court to declare Mirza’s acts and remarks contrary to the law and to restrain him from making such remarks.