ISLAMABAD: Lawyers belonging to the ruling party are likely to withdraw a contempt petition filed against two senior superintendents and a deputy superintendent of the police for not permitting them to enter the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC).

A bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, is scheduled to hear the petition on Wednesday (today).

Senior lawyers of the PML-N decided to withdraw the case after the police expressed willingness to let a few of them inside the FJC as well as the courtroom during the proceeding on references against the Sharif family.

However, the local leadership of the PML-N Lawyers Forum told Dawn that they would not come to the court on October 19 when the accountability court would indict Mr Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law.

On October 13, Justice Aurangzeb had issued contempt of court notices to the police officers for banning the entry of the lawyers into the FJC despite a court order.

The incident led to a clash between the lawyers and the police in which the black coats were baton charged.

The clash also resulted in the deferment of the indictment of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar in the London properties’ reference.

After the preliminary hearing of the contempt plea, the court had issued notices to SSP Sajid Kiani, SSP Jamil Hashmi and DSP Idrees Rathor.

On October 5, on a petition filed by the same lawyers’ forum the court had directed the police not to restrain litigants and lawyers from entering the courts.

However, when the lawyers approached a checkpost about 200 yards from the FJC, the police did not allow them to go beyond that point.

According to Mohammad Siddique Awan, a senior member of the PML-N Lawyers Forum, they had decided to withdraw the contempt petition after the police assured them of access to the FJC.

He said the leadership of the forum would provide a list of lawyers to the police who would come to the accountability court during the appearance of the Sharif family.

He said the lawyers would remain on the premises of the FJC during the presence of the Sharif family in the accountability court while senior lawyers would witness the trial proceedings.

“Since the commencement of the proceeding on the references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Mr Sharif and others in the accountability court, the lawyers had to stay 200 metres from the FJC building,” he said.

He expressed the hope that after the settlement with the police, the lawyers would not have to remain on roads.

He, however, said the lawyers reserved their right to file the contempt petition again in case the police banned their entry into the judicial complex.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017