ISLAMABAD - Refusing to take action against Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday postponed the hearing of a case against Altaf’s controversial statements and asked the petitioner to prove the maintainability of the case in the court.
Heading a three-judge bench, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that it was not the job of the Supreme Court to take notice of statements that would create law and order crisis in the country as that was the job of the law enforcement and security agencies.
The petition was filed by the Watan Party. Barrister Zafarullah, who represented the petitioner, read out the excerpts of Altaf Hussain’s speech published in newspapers.
Zafarullah accused Hussain of threatening to divide Pakistan.
Chastising the petitioner, the chief justice said that Altaf Hussain should have been made the respondent in the case if his speech was objectionable. The petitioner replied that MQM’s chairman had been named the respondent in the petition.
Continuing to grill the petitioner, the chief justice told Watan Party’s representative that the MQM was “probably” headed by Farooq Sattar, not Altaf, according to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) documents.
When the bench was told that Altaf Hussain did indeed head the party, Justice Ejaz said that the Supreme Court could not go after “every party leader making a speech.”
The apex court adjourned the case hearing for one week.
During his speech in Karachi last week when PTI workers were holding a demonstration at Teen Talwar area of Clifton, Hussain made some remarks that created controversy and prompted many Pakistani and British citizens to file complaints at London Metropolitan Police.
Heading a three-judge bench, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that it was not the job of the Supreme Court to take notice of statements that would create law and order crisis in the country as that was the job of the law enforcement and security agencies.
The petition was filed by the Watan Party. Barrister Zafarullah, who represented the petitioner, read out the excerpts of Altaf Hussain’s speech published in newspapers.
Zafarullah accused Hussain of threatening to divide Pakistan.
Chastising the petitioner, the chief justice said that Altaf Hussain should have been made the respondent in the case if his speech was objectionable. The petitioner replied that MQM’s chairman had been named the respondent in the petition.
Continuing to grill the petitioner, the chief justice told Watan Party’s representative that the MQM was “probably” headed by Farooq Sattar, not Altaf, according to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) documents.
When the bench was told that Altaf Hussain did indeed head the party, Justice Ejaz said that the Supreme Court could not go after “every party leader making a speech.”
The apex court adjourned the case hearing for one week.
During his speech in Karachi last week when PTI workers were holding a demonstration at Teen Talwar area of Clifton, Hussain made some remarks that created controversy and prompted many Pakistani and British citizens to file complaints at London Metropolitan Police.
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