Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief judge Rana Shamim on Monday submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) his original affidavit — in which he reportedly accused the former Chief Justice Supreme Court Mian Saqib Nisar of collusion to deny bails to top PML-N leadership prior to the 2018 general elections — more than a month after the affidavit was mentioned in an investigative report in a local English daily.
In the last hearing on December 13, the IHC had deferred the framing of charges in a contempt of court case against the ex-judge and three others and again directed Shamim to submit the original affidavit, having previously directed him to submit it in hearings on November 30 and December 7.
In a written order on December 10, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had warned that charges would be framed if the holder of the affidavit, Shamim, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Jang Group Mir Shakeelur Rehman, senior journalist
Ansar Abbasi and resident editor Amer Ghouri failed to show it was executed and published for bona fide purpose.
Justice Minallah had issued the order after going through the reply submitted by Rana Shamim in which he explained reasons for executing the statement on oath — dated November 10, 2021.
In the ‘leaked’ affidavit, on which Ansar Abbasi’s report was based, Rana Shamim had allegedly stated that Nisar during his visit to GB made a call to an IHC judge and asked him to ensure that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz are not released on bail before July 25, 2018 general elections.
The affidavit was published as part of an investigative report by said newspaper on Nov 15. Justice Minallah had subsequently taken notice of the report and later issued show-cause notices to Abbasi, Mir Shakeel, Ghouri as well as Shamim under the Contempt of Court Ordinance. During Monday’s hearing, the additional attorney general informed the Islamabad high court that Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan was admitted in Aga Khan University Hospital and would return by Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lateef Afridi, Shamim’s legal counsel, informed the court that the affidavit had been submitted to the IHC and the former judge has been “standing by his statement since the first day”.
The real affidavit was sealed and has now been brought to Pakistan on the court’s order,” he said.
Justice Minallah said the sealed envelope was in its original condition and had not been opened by the court yet.
“The attorney general had said the media’s role was secondary. Rana Shamim has admitted that the content published in the newspaper (the newspaper report) is the same as in his affidavit.
