Pakistan: Airing of PM’s anti-judiciary speeches banned

By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - A Pakistani court Thursday barred the local media from airing or publishing the “anti-judiciary” statements and speeches being made by the country’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others.
Justice Mamoon Rasheed of the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the country’s media regulatory authority to ensure ban on airing of alleged criticism on the apex court’s last month judgment by Abbasi, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and 16 other ministers and ruling party leaders, local broadcaster Express News reported.
The move comes after the ruling party leaders have continuously been criticizing Sharif’s disqualification by the Supreme Court in Panama papers scandal.
The LHC in its interim order on a petition filed by the local civil society members accused Sharif of publicly ridiculing the apex court judges and terming his disqualification a “conspiracy”.
The former premier, earlier this month led a big march from capital Islamabad to his hometown Lahore, and termed his disqualification as “humiliation” of the public vote.
His successor, Abbasi, and other Cabinet members have also been criticizing the court’s judgment, declaring Sharif as “people’s prime minister”.
Some commentators viewed Sharif’s march and criticism of judiciary as an aggressive attempt to influence the courts set to hear the corruption cases.
However, Sharif, who has held office as prime minister on three occasions but never completed a full term, has said the march is aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law.
Commenting on the court order, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq told reporters in Lahore that as per the constitution, court’s judgments can be discussed.
“We cannot stop anyone from commenting on a court judgment. We will continue to comment on the court’s judgment (staying) within the constitutional limits”, he said.
Sharif, 67, was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court on July 28. It ruled that he had acted in an untrustworthy manner by failing to declare a salary from his son’s Dubai-based company ahead of the 2013 elections.
The court also ordered the opening of corruption cases against Sharif and family members over revelations stemming from the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif has already filed a review petition against the judgment.
The former premier, earlier this week, refused to appear before the anti-corruption authorities in regard to ongoing investigations against him, saying he would not do that till the Supreme Court’s judgment on his review petition.
The apex court has not so far fixed any date for hearing of Sharif’s review petition, which according to legal experts has little chances to be accepted.