Contempt notice to channel for airing Abidi’s defamatory interview
By: Faisal Kamal Pasha
ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday while keeping the stay order intact barring the electronic media from telecasting defamatory programmes against the superior courts directed chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to submit progress report regarding any proceeding initiated against a private television channel for telecasting defamatory programme against the judiciary.
The court on previous hearing while taking suo moto notice of the programme in which senator Faisal Raza Abidi had passed defamatory and sarcastic remarks against the judiciary had issued show cause notices to the television administration.
On Monday the court issued contempt of court notices to the ARY communication Pvt Ltd chief executive officer (CEO)/director Haji Jan Muhammad for not filing a representation before the court despite the issuance of show-cause notices.
The court expressed its resentment and displeasure over the report submitted by Pemra regarding the said program. It observed that “In compliance of orders dated 30-10-2012 and 07-11-2012, chairman Pemra has filed report with documents as was directed by this court, however, the report is silent about the place, where the programme dated 26-10-2012 was recorded”. The IHC bench directed chairman Pemra to seek information from the channel concerned and submit a report in this regard.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan appeared before the court to represent the said channel. The court however said that the channel is not a party to the proceedings and if it is interested in becoming a party, proper application has to be moved. Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan then submitted an application.
He told the court that he in fact appeared in contempt of court proceedings against the channel. The court then told to him that there are no such proceedings pending before this court, however show cause notice was issued in the name of Haji Abdul Razzaq Yaqoob, owner of the channel. The court further observed that according to the report submitted by Pemra Haji Jan Muhammad is CEO/Director of the channel. The court in its today’s order observed, “At this moment, there is no person before the court to whom Barrister Aitzaz may represent”.
The court directed the registrar’s officer to issue contempt notices to Haji Jan Muhammad and construct a separate file of contempt proceedings.
Akram Sheikh, legal counsel for petitioner Nadeem Ahmad, argued before the court that Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has been the main figure in the movement for the restoration of judiciary. It is quite unfortunate that now he is here to defend an anti-judiciary programme of Faisal Raza Abidi. Upon which Barrister Ahsan said that there is no doubt that he played a leading role in the movement for the restoration of judiciary, but it is also his duty to keep the functioning of judiciary on the right track. Justice Siddiqui remarked that the way channel telecast an anti-judiciary programme it seems there is a plot to defame the superior court.
Upon court inquiry Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said that Malik Riaz has no share in the channel. The court then put of hearing till December 12.
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