ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected on Monday a plea seeking ban on Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz supremo’s speeches after the court observed that bringing matters related to politics to court was not in the interest of the public.
The verdict was announced by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who had earlier in the day reserved the ruling after hearing arguments.
According to the IHC, these kinds of issues unnecessarily dragged courts into matters of conflict. The court further observed that there was an alternate forum for the redressal of these issues, adding that the complainant could not satisfy the court regarding which of his rights were being affected by the matter.
The four-page detailed ruling upheld that the high court’s intervention in the matter concerning Nawaz Sharif’s speech was not right.
The court further observed that when the law provided for an issue to be taken on an alternate forum, then the court cannot directly intervene.
It maintained that the matter related to the PML-N supremo’s speeches was not a matter of public interest.
On October 3, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had fixed October 5 as the date for hearing the petition – seeking a ban on airing speeches of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and party President Shehbaz Sharif on television channels.
The plea was filed by a citizen, Amir Aziz, who has made Sharif, Shehbaz, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) chairman and others, respondents.
The petitioner contended in his plea that the convicted former premier during his recent speeches, especially the one delivered via video link during the all parties conference on September 20, had maligned the state institutions and a “convict’s speech cannot be allowed to be broadcast on mediaâ€.
