LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday issued notice to the police on a petition seeking registration of a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz vice president Maryam Nawaz for allegedly using contemptuous language against the Supreme Court judges.

Mohammad Nawaz, a citizen, filed the petition through Advocate Umair Saeed Butt claiming the PML-N leader had held press conferences against SC judges on July 25 and 28. He alleged that the respondent used contemptuous language against the judges, which amounted to ridiculing the judiciary.

He asked the court to order the police to register a case against Ms Nawaz for “scandalising” the institution of judiciary.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Liaqat Ali Ranjha sought a reply from the police on the petition by Sept 3.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court denied the police physical remand of two PML-N workers in a 2020 case of attacking a police team outside the office of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when Ms Nawaz appeared in an inquiry into a matter pertaining to land allotment.

The Chuhng police produced the workers, Tahir Mughal and Rana Ali Raza, before the court and sought their physical remand for seven days. The investigating officer said that custody of the suspects was required to conduct their identification through videos of the incident.

ATC judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar lamented that every new government started arresting workers of opponent parties. He wondered police needed physical remand of the suspects two years after the incident.

The judge turned down the IO’s request and sent the suspects to judicial remand.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022