IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah took note of Kanwal Shauzab’s derogatory remarks against him personally and the judiciary at large.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has appointed Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar as an amicus curiae in PTI MNA Kanwal Shauzab’s case involving online remarks against her, during which she also issued derogatory statements against the judiciary.
Although the PTI MNA had withdrawn the original case against her neighbour, she claimed that there was a social media campaign being operated against her, and urged the court to take action. At the same time, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah took note of Kanwal Shauzab’s derogatory remarks against him personally and the judiciary at large. “Was it justified that the lawmaker started a campaign against the court,” Justice Minallah questioned.
“When the matter is pending here, it is not right to distort the facts. Asad Umar belongs to the same political party and we have full confidence in him. He will assist the court after looking into the record,” he added.
Kanwal Shauzab had filed an FIR against her 70-year-old neighbour after he uploaded a video on social media about environmental degradation in the area, implying that the lawmaker and her husband were culpable. Kanwal Shauzab filed the FIR under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) ordinance for defamation.
Earlier this week, Kanwal Shauzab went on an insulting tirade against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and IHC Chief Justice Ather Minallah during a discussion on Twitter, calling Bilawal a transgender person and terming Justice Minallah a pharaoh.
The MNA has come under criticism in recent weeks for her provocative and often derogatory comments. PPP’s Secretary Information Faisal Karim Kundi called out the PTI MNA, saying that Kanwal Shauzab “should avoid acting like [the] Murad Saeed of women,” after she made disparaging remarks about the Pakistani military.
