Supreme Court (SC) will resume the hearing of contempt case against Prime Minister
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani today (Tuesday); meanwhile apex court has been
moved to summon three persons including Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi,
former Federal law minister Babar Awan and Law Secretary Masud Chishti
as witnesses in the contempt case against Prime Minister Syed Yousuf
Raza Gilani.
Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President and Pakistan
People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan who is PM Gilani’s counsel in
the contempt case has filed a separate appeal at the apex court in
reply to the SC order to produce documentary or physical evidences.
The plea submitted by MS Khattak, Advocate on Record, said the PM
Gilani acted upon the summary forwarded by Nargis Sethi, Babar Awan and
Masud Chishti; accordingly, all these three should be called as court’s
witnesses under Clause-94 and 540 of Criminal Procedure Code.
The PM Gilani, the plea states, cannot defend himself in his personal
and private capacity, as he exercised the powers in official capacity,
adding it would be tantamount to misuse of power if he calls personally
not officially witnesses to defend him.
To summon these witnesses is highly vital and the prosecution should
have called them; however failing to do so, it (prosecution) has lost
right to cross-question, the plea states.
During the last hearing on 22nd February , Attorney General Molvi
Anwar-ul-Haq, who is the prosecutor in the case, submitted evidence to
the court against the prime minister.
The court had asked PM’s counsel to defend his client in the light of the evidences presented by the Attorney General.
A seven-member bench of the Supreme Court will resume hearing of the case on Tuesday. SANA
