ISLAMABAD: An accountability judge on Thursday ordered that “politically motivated persons”, including partisan lawyers, should not be allowed to enter the court during hearings of Panama Papers-related references against the Sharif family.
In a letter addressed to Islamabad’s District Magistrate, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurungzeb has instructed that only lawyers involved in the on-going graft cases against members of the Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar; nominees forwarded by authorised individuals; and 15 court reporters will be allowed to enter the courtroom.
“Politically motivated persons” who may “obstruct the court proceedings” will not be allowed to enter, the justice ordered.
The directions were issued a day before former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and her husband, Muhammad Safdar, are expected to be indicted by an accountability court.
During the previous hearing of the graft cases against the Sharif family, the court had been forced to postponed the indictment till Oct 19 (tomorrow) after PML-N lawyers and supporters forcibly entered the court’s building and created mayhem.
Just as the accountability court judge, Justice Muhammad Bashir, had entered his courtroom, a number of lawyers associated with the PML-N had forced their way inside and surrounded the judge’s bench, loudly complaining that they had been manhandled by security forces outside the court and prevented from entering the courtroom.
In his letter to the District Magistrate, the judge ordered that only 15 court reporters from media houses would be allowed to enter the courtroom to witness the proceedings and that a list of the reporters should be drawn up prior to the proceedings.
He further ordered that a Quick Response Force should be stationed outside the court to check “any untoward incident in the courtroom.”
Since earlier this month, controversy has surrounded the security arrangements made for the Judicial Complex.
On Oct 2, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal had lashed out at the Punjab Rangers after PML-N leaders, lawyers and supporters of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif were prevented from entering the accountability court for a hearing on that day by the paramilitary force’s personnel.
In his statement to the media, Iqbal had said that whoever had asked Rangers to secure the Judicial Complex had “challenged the writ of the government”. He had ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
At the time, it was said that neither the interior ministry nor the chief commissioner had ordered the Rangers to take up security of the Judicial Complex.
Following the episode, the paramilitary force had also withdrawn the personnel detailed to the security of Parliament House.
The Frontier Constabulary was subsequently ordered to take charge of parliament’s security.
