ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: A former president of the Rawalpindi High Court Bar filed on Tuesday a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and some government officials for not complying with its order of prosecuting former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf for treason.
In his petition, Sheikh Ahsanuddin also sought a court order restraining Gen Musharraf from leaving the country till the conclusion of legal proceedings against him. Proceedings for committing contempt of court in respect of the July 3 order should be initiated against all respondents and, if found guilty, they should be punished under the law, the petition said.
The Supreme Court had on July 3 wrapped up further proceedings on the petitions seeking trial of Gen Musharraf under treason charges while expressing confidence that the federal government would honour its undertaking of trying the former military ruler without unnecessary delay.
The case was closed after Attorney General Muneer A. Malik had submitted a statement on June 26 and assured the court that the government would proceed in accordance with the law and prosecute Gen Musharraf after taking political forces into confidence.
Other respondents in the petition filed by Mr Ahsanuddin are secretaries of the interior and law and the director general of Federal Investigation Agency.
The petition said that only an inquiry committee/investigation team had been constituted by the government after the July 3 order, adding that the committee had not moved an inch and apparently no investigation was carried out because the petitioner, who is one of the complainants in the case, was never contacted in connection with the investigation, despite the lapse of four months.
Similarly, it said, neither any special court to prosecute Gen Musharraf under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution had been constituted nor periodical reports sent to the Prime Minister’s Office by the FIA director general. The PM Office also did not take any step for implementing the court’s July 3 order.
“Thus the respondents were deliberately and intentionally disobeying the direction of the apex court,” the petitioner said, alleging that they had lowered the prestige and dignity of the court in the eyes of the general public with mala fide intentions only to provide a safe exit to Gen Musharraf.
“Thus all the respondents are guilty of committing the contempt of court, especially the prime minister who heads the government and is captain of his team comprising ministers, secretaries and heads of all departments,” the petition said, adding the prime minister should be conscious and aware of his duty in respect of court’s orders.
In a related development, Chairman of the Communist Party of Pakistan Jameel Ahmad Malik filed in the Supreme Court a petition seeking immediate arrest of Gen Musharraf under high treason.
The petitioner also requested the court to constitute a special bench to implement its order as was done in the National Reconciliation Ordinance case.