Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the additional attorney general to provide Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Privatization Minister Daniyal Aziz the transcript of video clips along with a news report of his speech which showed that he had committed contempt of court.

A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel directed Daniyal Aziz, who is facing contempt of court proceedings, to furnish his reply to the show-cause notice till March 6. The court also warned that he will not be granted more time in this regard.

Daniyal Aziz appeared before the court along with his counsel Ali Raza, who requested the court to provide his client the video of the speech over which he had been accused of contempt and issued a show-cause notice. The court then directed that Daniyal Aziz be provided with the video along with a news report of his speech published in an Urdu-language daily.

During the hearing, when Daniyal Aziz insisted that he had been misquoted by the newspaper and in fact he did not pass any contemptuous remarks against the judiciary in his speech, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked him to submit video clips of his speech aired on different TV channels in which he had been misquoted.

Daniyal stated that he was trying to obtain the video clippings of his speech from the Press Information Department (PID). The court then told him that arrangement was in place in the courtroom to screen the videos of his speech where he spoke against the judiciary and which warranted contempt of court.

To a query by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed that ‘which film are you showing us today?’, Daniyal stated that he had submitted a written response before the court and had ‘no films to show’.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till March 6.

Earlier on Feb 19, the court had issued a show-cause notice to Daniyal Aziz in the contempt of court case. The court had observed that prima facie, Daniyal Aziz committed contempt of court. The court has deputed Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali as prosecutor in the case.

Published in Daily Times, February 24^th 2018.