Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR (AJK): Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Party chief and sitting opposition member of Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan Sunday announced to offer court arrest in the contempt of court case reportedly instituted against him.
Addressing news conference in AJK State’s metropolis on Sunday, Khalid, the son of founder president of Azad Jammu Kashmir State late Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, categorically declared that he would not knock the door of any court of law to secure bail to avert the arrest.
He said that he was prepared every moment to offer the arrest voluntarily in respect of the uniform when any police constable came to arrest him. At the same time he announced that that he would accept the verdict of the learned court reached in either way.
He was accompanied by his party colleagues including the Chief Organiser Syed Asif Gillani, Sardar Tasleem, Naeem Qureshi, Amber Shehzadi and Adnan Riaz besides several of the party workers.
Sardar Khalid Ibrahim continued that serving of the court notice to him over his speech in the AJK Legislative Assembly on May 24 this year was a unique precedent in the parliamentary history of the world.
He asserted as saying “ since AJK Chief Justice enjoys no suo moto powers, summoning clarification over his speech in the AJK Legislative Assembly was unconstitutional and unlawful action”. “Even if, through any way, there had been the contempt of court , there was a formal regular legal procedure for onward trial”, he maintained.
Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan said “we being the law and constitution maker, believe in running and honoring the rule of law and constitution in letter and spirit”. He emphatically said that those sitting in the institutions should not crossed their stipulated limits and powers.
The MLA underlined that the same judge was hearing the case who had taken the notice against him instituting the contempt of court proceeding. “This is the unique episode of the judicial history”, he maintained.
Sardar Khalid Ibrahim asserted as saying “entire procedure initiated against him was wrong – since he was served the notices mere for the sole and ego-satisfaction”.
He said “we are fighting the war for the supremacy, dignity and honour of the judiciary”. “But certain people are making the decisions sans the constitution mere for the sake of their vested interest”, he blamed.
Khalid Ibrahim further said that the AJK Legislative Assembly and the speaker have declared their stance correct. He announced that he would accept the decision of the learned court reached in either way. “The institution should make the verdicts and not ‘Jirgas’ “, he said.
The Opposition member of the AJK Legislature further said that it was a matter of principles and the powers of the institutions and not any regional or tribal issue. “So posing it as a regional matter was absolutely wrong”, he added.
Khalid said that he must have appeared before the concerned court of law had the action been taken keeping within the parameters of the constitution., he maintained.
The opposition member of the AJK Legislative Assembly said that the Speaker of the house should had been asked and contacted before serving of the notice to him in the contempt of court case.
Referring to the recent induction of five judges in Azad Jammu Kashmir High Court, Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan said “he is still stick to his stance that the appointment of the five judges was made under the political bargaining”. He said that although the High Court do not have the suo-moto powers, yet it can summon in contempt of court. He said that he would had appeared before the High Court had it (the AJK High Court) summons.
Concluding his talk to the media, Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan said that it would be the win of the court if he was arrested or declared disqualified.