Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday reserved verdict on a petition seeking action against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif over controversial statement about 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Babar Awan, the counsel for petitioners, asserted that Nawaz Sharif violated his oath by making the controversial statement. “This is the matter of violating the law,” he said. “Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should be given orders to take action against Nawaz Sharif and a ban on broadcast of his speeches should also be imposed, “he demanded.

As a reference, Babar Awan quoted the example of the Lahore High Court verdict barring the speeches of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman have been made party in the petition.

In an exclusive interview with a local newspaper last week, Nawaz had criticised the apparent delay in the conclusion of the Mumbai attacks trial. “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” he had asked in the interview. Mainstream Indian news outlets, since the interview was published, had been playing up Sharif’s statement on the attacks as a ‘confession’ of Pakistan’s role in the Mumbai incident.

Published in Daily Times, May 16^th 2018.