ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif on December 19 during an intra court appeal (ICA) on Thursday, which was filed by PTI lawmaker Dr Shireen Mazari.

Last month, the court had verbally offered reconciliation between the two politicians with directions to the counsel to ask Dr Mazari and Mr Asif to appear in court on Dec 8 so that the matter related to derogatory remarks against the PTI lawmaker is resolved.

On Thursday, when the IHC division bench consisting of Justice Shaukat Aziz and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani resumed hearing on the ICA, the counsel for the defence minister told the court that Mr Asif was busy in a meeting and was unable to appear before the court.

“The defence minister is bound to comply with court orders even if [he is in] a cabinet meeting,” Justice Siddiqui remarked.

Subsequently, the bench ordered Mr Asif to appear in person before the court on the next date of hearing.

The court had not summoned the politicians previously, but asked them to appear before court during the hearing of Dr Mazari’s intra-court appeal, who sought the court’s intervention to create an exception in Article 69 and reinterpret its provision for the protection of women on the floor of the National Assembly.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2016