Anti-judiciary Speeches: LHC Accepts Petition To Ban Nawaz

Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday accepted a petition to ban former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s “anti-judiciary speeches”.

Submitted by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffery, the petition outlined that the “inflammatory rhetoric” used by Sharif in his speeches was in direct contempt of the court. It further stated that his speeches could be “classified under treason and were a threat to the sovereignty of the state”.

The transmission and publication of such speeches should, therefore, be banned, stated the petition, citing the example of MQM-London’s leader, whose speeches were banned in 2015 due to an anti-state rhetoric. Jaffery requested that Sharif’s speeches should also be banned in a similar fashion.Justice Sheikh forwarded the petition to a three-member full bench of LHC and fixed the hearing for April 2.

Following the Panamagate verdict, Sharif and other PML-N leaders have drawn ire for their criticism of the judiciary.

Multiple petitions have been filed in different courts against them accusing them of contempt of court.In January, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had accepted a contempt of court petition against Sharif and his daughter Maryam for making speeches critical of the judiciary.

The Supreme Court, however, earlier this month had dismissed a contempt of court petition against the ousted PM, saying: “Commenting cleanly on a [court] decision is the right of every citizen.”