Former senator Faisal Raza Abidi has been indicted in the contempt of court case on his allegedly anti-judiciary remarks.
The Anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the case has also summoned witnesses on the next hearing after the accused pleaded not guilty.
Abidi was detained on October 10 outside the Supreme Court when he appeared for a hearing of a suo motu case initiated in the wake of his interview aired on a local news channel. An FIR was registered against him in the Secretariat Police Station under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). It also included sections 500 (punishment for defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (II) (statements conducing to public mischief), 228 (intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against the state) and 109 (punishment of abetment if act abetted in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIR accused Abidi of using “highly insulting and inappropriate language” against the chief justice and the judiciary in the TV interview. It also accused him of “undermining the honour of the chief justice and inciting the public”.
This was the third case that has been registered against Abidi for defamation of judiciary and use of threatening language.
Published in Daily Times, December 18th2018.
