LAHORE – Former federal minister for interior Ahsan Iqbal has begged mercyand apologized before a Lahore High Court bench in response to a contemptnotice, saying that he has utter respect for the courts and always boweddown before the law.
The former security czar appeared before the court along with his counselAzam Nazir Tarrar and urged the full bench headed by Justice Mazhar AliAkbar Naqvi to discharge all proceedings against him.
During the hearing, Justice Naqvi told Iqbal that he could have adopted alegal approach to express his reservations regarding the remarks of ChiefJustice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, but he chose to air hiscomments publically.
Ahsan explained that being the interior minister, he had the informationabout foreign elements conspiring against the country’s stability,contending that he could never think of disgracing or disobeying the court.
“Did you ever teach this lesson to other leaders of your party,” the judgeasked the PML-N leader, in a reference to anti-judiciary speeches by DanyalAziz, Talal Chaudhry and Nehal Hashmi, Express Tribune reported.
Upon this, Iqbal requested the court not to punish him for the sins ofothers, adding that what he did was not intentional.
Contrary to Iqbal’s plea, a video of the PML-N leader’s objectionablespeech was also shown; the hearing was adjourned till June 11.
The bench had issued a notice to the former minister to explain‘anti-judiciary’ remarks as he had decried that ‘enough is enough’ inresponse to the judicial activism at play under the chair of top judge,Mian Saqib Nisar.
Meanwhile, the bench also directed the Pakistan Electronic Media RegulatoryAuthority (Pemra) to submit a detailed report on petitions againstanti-judiciary speeches by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughterMaryam Nawaz and other leaders of the PML-N.