ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday disposed of the long-pending contempt of court case against former Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief judge Rana Mohammad Shamim after declaring the proceedings infructuous.

Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar took up the matter which had remained dormant for several years. The case was initiated in 2021 after publication of an affidavit attributed to Mr Shamim that levelled serious allegations against former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar.

During the hearing, Mr Shamim did not appear before the court. Advocate Aamir Abdullah represented journalist Ansar Abbasi and Jang Group’s Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman.

Advocate Abdullah informed the court that Mr Shamim had already submitted an unconditional apology, and the case had not been fixed for hearing since then. “Now that the case has become ineffective, it may be disposed of,” he argued.

The deputy attorney general (DAG) also supported the request, pointing out that the indictment was framed only against Mr Shamim while other respondents were never charged.

He said the proceedings had been revived after a long gap and had practically become infructuous.

Chief Justice Dogar agreed, observing that since the matter had lost its efficacy, there was no reason to keep it pending. The court subsequently disposed of the case.

Former IHC chief justice Athar Minallah had initiated contempt proceedings against Mr Shamim in November 2021 after publication of his purported affidavit in an English daily.

In the document, Mr Shamim alleged that ex-CJP Nisar had directed a judge of the IHC to delay the release of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in the run-up to the 2018 general elections.

In a later development, Mr Shamim disowned his controversial affidavit and submitted a fresh one tendering an unconditional apology to the IHC.

In his new affidavit, he stated that the earlier document dated November 10, 2021, was “neither correct nor required”, admitting that it contained an “unintentional mistake”. He added: “I regret rather apologise for an incorrect affidavit where the name of an honourable judge was mistakenly and unintentionally mentioned.”

Mr Shamim withdrew the contents of the affidavit, saying he had acted under emotional distress following personal tragedies in 2021, which he described as an “annus horribilis” for himself and his family.

He earlier told the court that the affidavit was written during a transit stay in London, claiming he had documented the episode at the wish of his late wife. In his apology, the former GB chief judge placed himself at the mercy of the court and sought forgiveness for what he described as a “grave mistake which should never have happened.”

With Monday’s order, the IHC formally closed the contempt proceedings that had remained pending since 2021.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2025