Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday issued show-cause notices to independent Senator Faisal Vawda and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Mustafa Kamal for their critical press conferences targeting Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges.
The notices were issued during a hearing led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, accompanied by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan. Both leaders have been summoned to appear before the bench at the next hearing on June 5.
The suo motu notice was taken in response to Vawda’s press conference, where he criticized IHC judges over a letter alleging interference by intelligence agencies and questioned Justice Babar Sattar’s citizenship. Vawda had demanded evidence of such meddling if any, and called for an end to targeting institutions without proof.
Following Vawda’s remarks, Kamal also held a press conference, emphasizing the need for the dual citizenship law to be applied across all institutions. He highlighted a perceived inconsistency, noting that while the Constitution does not bar dual citizens from becoming judges, it disqualifies assembly members with dual nationality.
Vawda’s criticisms came after he filed a request with the IHC registrar for disclosure of correspondence between former IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Babar Sattar regarding the latter’s green card. This followed a social media campaign accusing Justice Sattar of holding US nationality and having business interests in Pakistan.
The IHC responded to the campaign, clarifying that Justice Sattar has only ever held Pakistani nationality. The court explained that while residing and working in the US, Justice Sattar had been issued a green card as a person of extraordinary ability, but returned to Pakistan in 2005 and has lived and worked there since.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Aamir Rehman confirmed that parts of the press conference he reviewed were muted, indicating derogatory content. Chief Justice Isa emphasized that targeting institutions without specifics is unacceptable and highlighted the importance of respecting institutions which serve the people.
The court also requested the video recordings and transcripts of the press conferences, and directed PEMRA to provide details of the questions and answers during the sessions. The hearing was adjourned until June 5.
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