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Supreme Court’s contempt notice to minister

By Xinhua

Islamabad : Pakistan’s Supreme Court Friday issued a contempt of court notice to a cabinet minister for his remarks against the court’s ruling allowing exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to return home.

A seven-member bench of the apex court Thursday had ruled that Sharif could return to the country and take part in politics.

Sharif was sent into exile in 2000, one year after the then army chief Pervez Musharraf toppled his government in a coup.

Pakistani Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afgan Niazi during a television interview Thursday criticised the court’s verdict. He said he would not accept the verdict and accused the court of seeking a confrontation.

“Issue notice to Sher Afgan Niazi of contempt of court proceedings under article 204 of the constitution to show cause as to why contempt of court proceedings may not be initiated against him,” Friday’s court order said.

A five-member bench of the court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, also directed Niazi to file a reply in two weeks.

Legal experts say that the minister could lose his job and could face jail term if proved guilty. He could also be barred from taking part in elections, according to experts.