ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before Lahore High Court on Monday in a high treason case filed against him after his controversial interview given to the daily newspaper Dawn.
Among the co-accused appearing alongside Sharif were ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and journalist Cyril Almeida.
Sharif, after his ouster from the government, had said in his interview with Almeida for Dawn that the attackers involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks belonged to Pakistan. The interview sparked controversy across the country and led to a National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on his statement.
Abbasi, the then prime minister, was accused of sharing the NSC meeting’s minutes with his predecessor and the party supremo, Nawaz Sharif, which was a violation of the Official Secret Act of 1923.
Civil society activist Amna Malik filed a petition against Sharif, claiming his controversial interview had dented the country’s image and sovereignty. She argued that Abbasi violated his oath as PM by leaking the confidential information to Sharif and thus prayed to the court that all three respondents — Sharif, Abbasi and Almeida — should be tried for high treason according to Article 6 of the Constitution.
Security around the court premises was beefed up: Heavy contingents of Rangers and police were deployed as several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers gathered outside the court awaiting the arrival of their party’s supremo and surrounded him as soon as Sharif reached the premises.
As the hearing began, the three-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Atir Mahmood and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir, questioned the Deputy Attorney General, Mian Tariq, about the action taken by the government under Article 6 of the Constitution.
The court noted that “this is a sensitive issue.”
“Taking action under Article 6 is the government’s job,” Justice Jahangir remarked.
Justice Naqvi ordered a complete report on the matter to be submitted to the court by the attorney general.
During the last hearing, Almeida’s name was placed on the Exit Control List and non-bailable warrants for his arrest were issued after his failure to attend the previous hearings.
Almeida’s counsel, Advocate Ahmed Rauf, had filed written replies and comments on behalf of his client before Monday’s hearing, after which the court ordered the journalist’s name to be removed from the no-fly list and the warrants were withdrawn.
During the hearing, Abbasi’s lawyer requested the court adjourn the hearing until after the by-polls scheduled to take place on Oct. 14. Accepting the request, the bench adjourned the hearing until Oct. 22.