LAHORE, Jan 22: A five-member full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday dropped contempt proceedings against Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) office-bearers and members and restored their practising licences.

A division bench formed by former LHC chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry had suspended the licences of PbBC vice-chairman Tariq Javed Warraich, executive committee chairman Syed Arbab, Amir Jalil Siddiqui, Rana Zia-ur-Rehman, Iqbal Mohal and Asif Ali Malik for making “contemptuous remarks” against the judges, who took oath under the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order.

On Tuesday, Warraich along with other PbBC members appeared before the bench consisting of Justice Mian Muhammad Najam-uz-Zaman, Justice Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq, Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chohan, Justice Tariq Shamim and Justice Asghar Haider, who took up the case in-camera and later dropped the contempt proceedings.

Nasim Hassan: A local civil judge, Shakaib Imran Qamar, on Tuesday issued a notice to former chief Justice of Pakistan Dr. Nasim Hassan Shah for today (Wednesday) in a suit for stopping him from holding elections of All Pakistan Private Schools Owners Association (APPSOA).

The court has served a notice on him in the capacity of the chief election commissioner for the elections of the office-bearers of the association.

The plaintiff, Ch. Akhlaq Ahmed, former general secretary of APPSOA, said Mirza Kashif Ali, central president of the association, had announced holding its elections on Jan 23 (today).

He said Mirza was trying to manipulate the whole elections by using his name as well as of Amir Basra, Sardar Ejaz Baloch and Shafqat Mehmood as candidates for different positions. “Neither we filed nomination papers nor have any link with the organisation,” he added

He said he brought the matter to the notice of chief election commissioner, Dr. Naseem Hassan Shah, but to no avail. He prayed to the court to restrain the election commissioner from holding elections. —Reporter