LAHORE - A three-member Lahore High Court bench on Friday concluded contempt proceedings against Ahmad Awais after his resignation as Punjab advocate general (AG).
The bench last Thursday had reserved the verdict in the contempt case after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had appeared before the court and disclosed that Ahmad Awais had stepped down as advocate general of Punjab.
Yesterday, the LHC bench announced the verdict and concluded the contempt proceedings against the former AG.
A notice had been issued to the advocate general on his apparently contemptuous conduct during the announcement of an order about the joint investigation team constituted on the Supreme Court order to probe the 2014 Model Town killings.
Representing Ahmad Awais, Hamid Khan Advocate had defended the former advocate general, and requested the bench to ignore the raising of voice of his client in flow of speech that occurred naturally. However, Justice Qasim Khan said, “What if someone begins cursing [the judges]?”
After hearing the arguments, the bench had reserved the verdict which was announced yesterday.
As per the case details, two Model Town case accused Inspector Rizwan and constable Khurram Rafique had filed a petition in the LHC claiming that the formation of the new JIT was against the Supreme Court orders.
The LHC bench after hearing the parties restrained the new JIT from working. The bench had reserved the new JIT suspension order in the absence of the Mr Ahmad but announced the order in his presence.
On which the former AG expressed his annoyance, saying that he had not been notified before the hearing and the government had been denied its right to be heard on the matter.
This led to exchange of heated words between the AG and the judges who initiated the contempt proceedings. The government’s representative had to file reply when issued notice and finally the proceedings were concluded by the court on his resignation.
In a separate case, first time in the history of Pakistan Norwegian police, with the cooperation of the Punjab Safe Cities Authorities, completed international court management trial through video link from Norway on Friday.
The Norwegian police sitting in their court recorded the statement of an accused imprisoned in the district jail in Lahore via video link with the cooperation of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. The prisoner’s statement was required to complete murder trial in the country. In the presence of the Norwegian judge, cross-examination of the accused and the witnesses was conducted. The prisoner and the witnesses were presented before the court for their cross-examination through modern technology, said the spokesperson of the authority.
After taking permission from the Interior Ministry, the four-member team of the Norwegian police recorded the statement of the prisoner and the witnesses. The prisoner’s statement was recorded from the jail while the statements of the witnesses were recorded from the authority’s office.
After completion of the trial, the Norwegian police officer in Pakistan lauded the cooperation extended by the Pakistan government and the authorities. He said that without the cooperation of the Pakistani government and the officials, the completion of the murder trial in his country was not possible. He also thanked the authority for cooperating in the completion of the legal process.