The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday resumed hearing a contempt of court case against former chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim and others over an investigative report that highlighted Shamim's allegation against former jurist Saqib Nisar of colluding to deny bails to top PML-N leadership before general elections 2018.

       In the last hearing, Shamim had distanced himself from a 'leaked' affidavit attributed to him in the report published by The News, saying he had yet to examine it and adding that the actual affidavit was sealed and in a locker in the UK. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had subsequently directed him to produce the original affidavit as well as his written response.

       The court had warned: "In case the original document/ affidavit, on the basis of which the news report was published, is not produced before this court on the date fixed then it would raise a presumption of its non-existence."

       Shamim, the investigative report's author Ansar Abbasi and The News editor Aamir Ghouri as well as Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan and Advocate General Niaz Ali Niazi are present in court today for the hearing. Editor-in-chief of Jang Group Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman's counsel has filed an application for exemption.

       In the November 10, 2021 'leaked' affidavit on which Ansar Abbasi's report was based, Shamim allegedly stated that the ex-CJP during his visit to GB made a call to an IHC judge and asked him to ensure that Nawaz and his daughter are not released on bail before July 25, 2018 general elections. The alleged affidavit was published as part of an investigative report by The News International.

       Justice Minallah had subsequently taken notice of the report and later issued show-cause notices to Abbasi, Rehman, Ghouri as well as Shamim under the Contempt of Court Ordinance.

       Abbasi, Rehman and Ghouri had already submitted their responses to the court prior to the hearing last week but Shamim had not.

       Shamim distances himself from affidavit

       During the last hearing on Nov 30, when the court asked Shamim about the authenticity of the affidavit published in the newspaper, he replied that he neither read the news item nor remembered the contents of the affidavit since after signing it, he kept the same in a locker with his family residing in the UK.

       Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan quipped that Shamim remembered each and every detail of ex-CJP Saqib Nisar's visit to GB in 2018 but forgot what he had stated on oath on Nov 10.

       In reply to the court's queries, Shamim said his response was obtained by The News International after publication of the news report. He stated he had not provided any document's copy, as the document executed by him was sealed and kept in a locker in the UK.

       According to Shamim, the key of the locker was in possession of his grandson.

       The court then directed the ex-chief judge to submit his written reply within four days along with the original document/affidavit that he claimed was sealed and kept in a locker in the UK.

       The attorney general was directed to coordinate with Shamim to facilitate delivery of the document/affidavit from the UK, while the foreign secretary and Pakistan High Commission in the UK were asked to assist the attorney general in this regard.