Daily Times

SWAT: The court expressed frustration over the absence of counsel for the opposing party during the hearing of the Swat Press Club dispute case. The lawyer appeared and asked for time, on which the court adjourned the hearing till June 24.

The Swat Press Club dispute case was heard in the Peshawar High Court Mingora Bench, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmed of the Division Bench perceived the case. Barrister Asad-ur-Rehman appeared on behalf of the working journalists and gave arguments.

According to sources, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim asked the opposition Ghulam Farooq and others where are your people’s lawyers? Opponents present told the court that our lawyer has not yet received the notice. On which Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim remarked that how did you come then? They said that we had received the notice.

“If you had received the notice, you should have informed your lawyer that he too would have been present in the court.” Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim remarked.

According to the working journalists, when the lawyers of the opposing party appeared, the court remarked that they had no objection to the working journalists becoming a party in the said case.

Barrister Asad Hameed-ur-Rehman, a lawyer for the working journalists, told the court that the Swat Press Club was sealed at the request of my clients as the Press Club was occupied by a special mass and the public opinion is restricted. Therefore, we request that our petition be declared admissible in the said case and fully investigated.

The apex court asked the opposing counsel to give arguments on which the opposing counsel told the court that he had not studied the case on which the court adjourned the re-hearing of the case till June 24.