LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Monday adjourned till November 19 hearing of a writ petition seeking high treason proceedings against former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and a journalist.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi and consisting of Justice Atir Mahmood and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir took up the petition against a controversial interview of the former prime minister to an English newspaper. Abbasi appeared before the court on Monday. However, former PM Nawaz Sharif did not turn up as he was busy in hearing of other cases in Islamabad.
Abbasi and journalist Cyril Almeida, along with their counsel, appeared before the bench. Sharif’s counsel Naseer Bhutta submitted that application for exemption from hearing had been filed on behalf of his client.
On this, Justice Mazahar observed that the application was incomplete as affidavit had not been submitted along with it.
The counsel assured that the affidavit would be filed in compliance with the court directions to fulfil the legal requirement.
The bench was informed that Abbasi and Cyril Almeida were present in the court in response to a query. Cyril’s counsel submitted that his client wanted to go abroad. He submitted that he did not have dual nationality and he had only Pakistani nationality. On this, Justice Mazahar directed the counsel to file application for the purpose, observing that it would be decided in accordance with the law. The former prime ministers in their written reply refuted the allegations levelled in the writ petition.
Nawaz Sharif said in his reply that an allegation as grave as treason was unimaginable. He stated in his reply, “In my head, several questions are arising as to whether the Pakistani nation is also treacherous and whether the patriotism of the millions who voted me into power is also questionable.”
He asked, “Can those who make the country supreme be treacherous? Can those who eliminate terrorism from the country be treacherous?” He said, “I belong to the family which migrated to Pakistan and this country’s soil is more valuable to me than my life.”
Likewise, Abbasi rejected the allegations against him as baseless. He said, “I did not speak to Nawaz regarding the National Security Council (NSC) meeting and discussed only the party matters with him.” He added, “The news report mentioned in the petition is incorrect.”
Meanwhile, the petitioner’s counsel said, “Almeida in his reply stated that he published what Nawaz Sharif had said. Quoting the book “The Betrayal of India: Revisiting the 26/11 Evidence” by Elias Davidsson, a German author, he said the writer states that Pakistan had nothing to do with the Mumbai attacks. He termed Abbasi’s reply submitted to the court diplomatic.
The petition says that on May 11, 2018, Nawaz Sharif during his interview to Cyril Almeida stated that those who attacked a hotel in Mumbai actually belonged to Pakistan. “The statement of Nawaz could be used against Pakistan by the enemies of the state,” the petition adds. It quoted Sharif in the petition as saying: “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors; should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” It adds that Nawaz rejected the statement of National Security Council, committing sedition. In addition, disclosure of details of the NSC meeting by Abbasi to Nawaz was equally liable to action under the law. The petitioner appealed to the court that high treason proceedings may be initiated against the respondents.