Two witnesses record statements in Daniyal Aziz contempt case

ISLAMABAD: The hearing of a contempt of court case against Federal Minister for Privatisation Daniyal Aziz resumed today.

Presiding over the case, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed was informed by the additional attorney general informed that PEMRA DG Haji Adam is present as a prosecution witness to record his statement. 

In his statement, Adam informed the court of various instances when Aziz addressed the media and made controversial remarks. 

Later, a clip of Aziz's media talk on Dec 15, 2017 was shown in court. 

Following Adam's statement, a local journalist appeared as the second prosecution witness and recorded his statement. The statement pertained to comments of Aziz at a press conference wherein he had reportedly cast aspersion at Supreme Court Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the monitoring judge in the Panama case. 

After the witnesses were cross-examined by Aziz's counsel Ali Raza, the hearing was adjourned until April 16. 

During the previous hearing on March 26, the case was adjourned till today, and the defence was directed to submit arguments and a witness list before the next hearing.

Aziz was indicted on contempt charges by the Supreme Court on March 13.

The charges, read out by Justice Mushir Alam, included several instances where the minister had made anti-judiciary remarks.

Aziz’s counsel Ali Raza pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Previously, the bench had expressed dissatisfaction with Aziz's response to the court's show-cause notice and fixed his indictment for March 13.

The minister's response to the court had stated that being a parliamentarian he could not even think of disrespecting state institutions. 

The reply further said that Aziz believes in the supremacy of the Constitution and respects state institutions, including the judiciary.

“Media ran my comments out of context,” the PML-N leader had stated in the response. He had also pleaded to the court to take back the show-cause notice issued to him in the case.