ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: Annoyed by government’s defiance of its earlier decision, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the national airlines and the aviation regulators to explain on whose orders former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had been deported to Saudi Arabia after his arrival in Islamabad on September 10.

Headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, a four-member bench of the Supreme Court took up a contempt of court petition moved jointly by Mr Sharif and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and adjourned further proceedings for October 17.

Other members of the bench are Justice Naser-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz and Justice Jamshaid Ali.

The bench asked Pakistan International Airlines chairman Zafar A. Khan and Civil Aviation Authority director-general Farooq Rehmatullah to submit details of activities which took place at the Islamabad airport on Sept 10 when the former prime minister was deported to Jeddah after his arrival from London. They were also asked to provide details of the aircraft which took Nawaz Sharif to Jeddah along with the directives of the authority which had ordered the deportation.

Likewise, Federal Investigation Agency director-general Tariq Pervez was directed to submit documents showing the exit stamp on the passport of Mr Sharif when he was deported.

“If there is a stamp on his passport, then it would mean that the former prime minister had left willingly and, if not, it would mean that he was sent forcibly,” the CJ observed.

Justice Raja Fayyaz observed that Mr Sharif should have filed his affidavit to show if he had been sent forcibly.

Advocate Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, the legal counsel for Mr Sharif, described the forcible deportation of his client as gross contempt and atrocious violation of the earlier orders of the apex court.

Mr Sharif had held in his petition Gen Pervez Musharraf responsible for ‘subverting’ the law of the land and sought a direction for his return to Pakistan and subsequent production before the court.

He alleged that he had been illegally abducted and removed from the territory of his country without even his passport.

Citing the August 23 Supreme Court orders in which the court had asked the authorities not to hamper Nawaz Sharif’s arrival, the petitioner alleged that he had been restrained for one and a half hours inside the aircraft and an official of the NAB announced on a loudspeaker different charges against him at the Rawal Lounge.

“After the announcement, security personnel forcibly isolated me from other members of my entourage,” he alleged.

The petition named 13 persons as respondents -- Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the federation through interior secretary, chief secretary of Punjab, chief secretary to Pervez Elahi, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, Punjab Inspector General of Police Ahmed Nasim, National Accountability Bureau chairman Naveed Ahsan, DIG Rawalpindi Moravat Shah, Col (retd) Afzal of NAB, Pakistan Rangers Punjab director-general Maj-Gen Haroon, director-general of FIA, chairman of PIA and director-general of CAA.