Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday banned the entry of Shahid Orakzai, a former journalist, in all its registries for filing false petitions as well as having insulting attitude with the judges of the superior courts.

A three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, banned his entry while hearing his petition challenging the elevation of former chief justice of Lahore High Court Syed Mansoor Ali Shah to the Supreme Court. The chief justice observed that the court would not allow persons to file false petitions. Banning the entry of Shahid Orakzai in the premises of the Supreme Court, the chief justice observed that the ‘era of filing false petitions’ was over now. “You are a habitual petitioner and also insult the judges”, the chief justice asked Orakzai and noted that Orakzai brings a new petition every day, which is often found to be false.

The chief justice of Pakistan enjoys the authority to ban a person from entering the court premises. Former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad had also banned the entry of Orakzai in the court premises. However, after his retirement, Orakzai again started visiting the court and filing petitions. Orakzai has a track reputation of filing controversial and presumptive petitions. A few years ago, the Islamabad High Court had imposed a fine on Orakzai for wasting the court’s time by filing a frivolous petition. In 2014, Justice Yahya Afridi of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had sent Orakzai to prison for 24 hours for scandalising the court after he had accused former PHC chief justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of their involvement in burying the murder case of his brother. When the court had pondered over the allegations, it were found to be false, however, Orakzai had refused to withdraw the petition. In 1990s, the Supreme Court had sentenced Orakzai for committing contempt of court for over a month.

Published in Daily Times, February 15^th 2018.