KARACHI, Oct 2: A full bench of High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri, on Wednesday suspended the sentence awarded to Anwar Yousuf Zai on charge of contempt of court and admitted the accused to bail against a surety of Rs100,000.

The bench earlier reserved orders on Tuesday after hearing Justice Rasheed A Razvi, counsel for alleged contemner, Syed Zaki Mohammed, deputy attorney general, and AAG Sarwar Khan.

Anwar Yousuf Zai was sentenced to serve a six-month imprisonment by an election tribunal, headed by Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Muhammed Sadiq Leghari, on charge of contempt of court.

The accused had raised slogans of “shame .... shame “, after the said election tribunal rejected the election petitions filed by Ms Benazir Bhutto against the returning officer and deputy election commissioner, Sindh who rejected her nomination papers from two NA seats and one from seats reserved for women in NA from Sindh.

Rasheed A Razvi and Aslam Butt, appearing for alleged contemner, has taken the stand that the election tribunal is not high court and thus it cannot charge and sentence a person for contempt of court.

DAG Syed Zaki Mohammed has submitted that the ET was headed by sitting judge of the SHC; and, therefore, it can convict and sentence an alleged contemner.

The DAG, however, conceded the concession of bail to the alleged contemner. The AAG vehemently opposed the bail after which the bench reserved its order.

Announcing the order in the afternoon, the bench suspended the sentence awarded to the alleged contemner and granted bail to him against a surety of Rs100,000.

PLEA AGAINST PTV: The Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Party (PMKP) has moved the Sindh High Court against the PTV for ignoring it in its programme “Election Hour” featuring politicians belonging to political parties of Pakistan.