PHC accepts Aimal Wali’s apology

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday accepted the unconditional and written apology of Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Aimal Wali Khan and disposed of the contempt of court petition against him.

A single bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan issued the six-page order mentioning the reasons for disposing of the petition.

The ANP leader appeared before the court and tendered an unconditional written apology. Last Tuesday, the PHC had summoned Aimal Wali in the contempt plea filed for his alleged diatribe against the judiciary and had directed him to appear before the court to explain his position.

The contempt petition had been filed by former MNA and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Fazal Mohammad Khan. The petitioner was represented by Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah. He had requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the “contemnor”.

On December 21, the petitioner’s counsel Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah stated that the respondent had given interviews to different national news channels, wherein he had made some gravely scandalous, malicious and defamatory remarks against the PHC chief justice.

The PHC had directed Aimal Wali to publicly “regret” launching the diatribe against the judiciary.

Aimal Wali appeared before the court along with his counsels, including Barrister Amir Khan Chamkani, Ahmad Farooq Khattak, Babar Khan Yousafzai and others. The lawyers for Aimal Wali maintained that the issue was blown out of proportion as the petitioner was a political rival of their client. They requested the bench to show leniency towards the respondent.

The bench observed that threatening a judge was an offence under the Anti-Terrorism Act, but the court was treating the respondent leniently because of his young age. The PHC disposed of the contempt of court petition against the ANP leader after he tendered the apology.