Going against LHC order on Shahbaz Sharif's plea prima facie contempt of court: SC

• Supreme Court hears Interior Ministry's plea against LHC order granting Shahbaz Sharif permission to fly abroad for treatment.
• SC judges say federal agencies worked against the order of the LHC by preventing Shahbaz from leaving, which is prima facie contempt of court.
• Notice issued to Shahbaz Sharif.

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan on Tuesday expressed concerns on what he described as "swift action" taken by the Lahore High Court on a petition filed by PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif seeking the removal of his name from the Exit Control List.

The AGP was presenting his arguments in the Supreme Court, where the federal government has challenged the LHC verdict granting the PML-N president a "one-time" permission to travel to London on medical grounds.

A two-member bench of the SC, comprising Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, heard the government's appeal.

It noted with concern the action by federal agencies which worked against the court order.

The bench, after hearing the initial arguments, admitted the petition for hearing.

Read more: Shahbaz Sharif stopped from getting onboard Doha flight despite court orders

Court proceedings

During today's hearing, AGP Khalid Javed said the government is not concerned about an individual going abroad. However, he said the manner in which the court fixed the plea, heard the appeal and issued the order for implementation is a "matter of concern".

"On Jummatul Wida, objections were raised on the petition and cleared on the same day and a single-member bench of the LHC announced the verdict ex parte," he complained. 

On this, the bench noted that the federal agencies subsequently worked against the order of LHC, which prima facie amounts to contempt of court.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah wondered that since the former Punjab chief minister has withdrawn his petition from the high court, how can the government's appeal be heard now.

The judge said that the chapter pertaining to Shahbaz Sharif travelling overseas had been closed. Justice Shah said, however, that the court will now look at the case to see whether contempt of court was committed or not. 

Read more: Shehbaz Sharif added to ECL, says Fawad Chaudhry

He also expressed concerns over the LHC's verdict. 

"One wonders how the LHC issued an order without hearing all parties," Justice Shah said.

The apex court adjourned the hearing till next Wednesday after issuing notices to the PML-N president and sought all records pertaining to the case from the LHC's registrar.

On May 18, the interior ministry had instituted an application to seek an early hearing of the case "in the larger interest of justice."

It had pleaded that the petition was an urgent matter and needed fixation before the apex court on an early date as valuable rights of the petitioner were involved in the case.