The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the contempt of court proceedings against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry till Friday due to unavailability of additional attorney general Waqar Rana, who is prosecutor in the case.
A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Faisal Arab directed the prosecutor to ensure his availability on Friday.
At the onset of the hearing, when the court was informed that prosecutor was not available, counsel for Talal Chaudhry requested to adjourn the proceedings till Monday. The court, however, adjourned the hearing till Friday.
Talal is facing the charge of contempt due to his two statements in January this year in which he allegedly incited the public for ousting those judges from the Supreme Court who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) proclaimed by then president and army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.
Meanwhile, speaking to media outside the Supreme Court, Talal claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has made a secret pact with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supremo Asif Zardari. “Imran and Zardari are not two. They are one. And they showed it in the Senate elections. Imran will cast vote for the arrow [PPP’s electoral symbol] in future too. One is the candidate for president, while other is for prime minister,” he said.
However, he said, the upcoming general elections will be held in polling stations. “This [election] won’t be held in drawing rooms.”
Talal went ahead to criticise Imran’s 11-point agenda unveiled on Sunday and said that there is nothing new in it. “Imran is a failed product of secret agencies. A lot of investment was made but Imran remained a ‘zero’. Imran will never be a hero,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, May 1st 2018.