PBC seeks contempt case against law minister, AG

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has requested the Supreme Court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Federal Minister for Law Farogh Nasim and Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan for making a statement against the bench of the apex court hearing the petition filed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa challenging the presidential reference against him for not disclosing the foreign assets of his family.

Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Abid Saki has filed the petition under Article 204 of the Constitution read with Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003.

The PBC prayed the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against Farogh Nasim and Anwar Mansoor and any other person who may have instructed the attorney general to make such statement on behalf of the Federation and punish them in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003.

The PBC submitted that Anwar Mansoor has cast aspersions and improper motives on the judges of the Supreme Court and criticised and scandalised their lordships which constitutes judicial contempt. “The fact that the highest law officer of the Federation did so make his offence unpardonable and in doing so a clear and conscious attempt was made to lower the authority of the apex court and bring the administration of law into disrespect and disrepute and to scandalise the judges of the apex court in relation to their work,” the PBC submitted.

It said the AG premeditatedly and deliberately made the statements in open court and if there was an iota of truth in these statements, Anwar Mansoor would have said so in writing on the very first date when he appeared before this court, that on 8th October 2019 and not kept silent for 133 days.

Meanwhile, the legal fraternity condemned the statement of attorney general. In a separate statements, President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Syed Qalbe Hassan and Vice Chairman PBC Abid Saki said that it is indeed very unfortunate that the highest law officer has made such an irresponsible statement unsupported by any material, which amounts not only to undermining the public confidence in the highest court but also constitutes contempt of the apex court.

They demanded that attorney general should immediately tender an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court and also step down from the highest office of the principal law officer forthwith, otherwise the Bar would not hesitate to file a contempt petition against him as well as the federal law minister, who according to them is equally responsible for the unfortunate episode that took place in the Supreme Court the other day.