Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Expressing dismay over misreporting by media, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday clarified that the Lahore High Court (LHC) did not ban ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from making speeches.

The CJP clarified this while heading a three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, which took suo motu notice of media reports that the LHC on Monday had barred TV channels from airing ‘anti-judiciary speeches’ by Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other senior leaders of the PML-N for 15 days.

The bench summoned from Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) the entire record of complaints against speeches by Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other leaders of the PML-N. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), advocate generals of all the four provinces and LHC registrar were summoned.

Later in the day, AGP Ashtar Ausaf Ali appeared before the bench and presented the copy of LHC decision reportedly barring TV channels from airing ‘anti-judiciary speeches’ by Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and others. The court served notices to Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to appear before the court in person or through their counsel. Issuing the notices, the chief justice said, “We are here until 7pm.”

The chief justice also asked the AGP that it was very important for the parties in the case to be present before the court. The AGP, however, stated that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were probably not available in the federal capital. “They should be in the federal capital as they have their accountability court hearing,” Justice Ijazul Ahsan noted.

During the hearing, the chief justice expressed annoyance over the misreporting of the LHC order by media, and termed it ‘fake and managed news’. After going through the LHC order, the chief justice said it did not mention the reported ban anywhere, rather PEMRA was directed to enforce the law. He observed that any court could not curtail the fundamental rights of the citizens, adding that court never stopped any one from healthy criticism.

The judges noted that media reporting of the LHC verdict seemed to be managed and disseminated in a systematic way. The court directed the AGP to identify the source which managed and planted the news. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed noted that PEMRA appeared to be completely helpless in this regard.

The court also admonished PEMRA’S ad-hoc chairman for not taking notice of the news reports being presented in a wrong way. The court also reprimanded PEMRA’S counsel Salman Akram Raja for simultaneously representing PEMRA and the PML-N leaders in various cases before the Supreme Court, besides warning him of cancellation of his law practice license. The counsel, however, tendered apology.

Wrapping up the suo motu proceedings in the matter, the court directed PEMRA to take action on the complaints pending against the PML-N leaders in 15 days, as directed in the LHC order.

A day earlier, media had reported that while hearing some pleas seeking ban on the ‘anti judiciary speeches’ by Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other PML-N leaders, a three-member LHC bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi had directed PEMRA to place temporary ban on airing of these speeches for 15 days.

Published in Daily Times, April 18^th 2018.