Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on Friday passed an order that in future if anyone intends to make any statement regarding stay order in favour of Punjab government, he may have information beforehand from SC registrar instead of maintaining a version, not supported by the court record.
During the proceeding of Hajj scam case, it was pointed out to Advocate General Punjab Khawaja Haris that as chief law officer of the province, he should clarify as to whether any case relating to stay being granted in favour of the Punjab government is pending in Supreme Court, as it is generally alleged that Punjab government is functioning on account of such stay order.
The AG Punjab categorically stated that no such case of stay was pending for running the Punjab government. However, chief justice directed advocate general to visit SC registrar office along with media after court hours to look for any such case on the website of the apex court.
Complying with the court orders, Khawaja Haris visited registrar office along with journalists, covering proceedings of the court and examined the record. After thorough scrutiny, no such case involving interim stay order in favour of Punjab government was found pending. The advocate-general Punjab then issued a statement that there was absolutely no stay order of any nature whatsoever issued by the Supreme Court in favour of the Punjab government.
According to the statement for the last few months now, various persons have been making statements in the electronic and print media that Punjab government was operating under a stay order purportedly passed by the Supreme Court. "I in unequivocal terms arrest that there is no stay order of any nature whatsoever passed by any court in Pakistan, by virtue of or under which the government of Punjab is functioning," he added.
He called upon media persons to stop airing, publishing, printing, and disseminating in any form whatsoever this wholly false and malicious statement, that 'the Punjab government is functioning under a stay order', unless any such stay order is produced by the persons making the statement and the authenticity thereof is got verified from the registrar of the concerned court, as dissemination of such false statement besides carrying defamatory innuendos vis-avis the provincial government, is also calculated to inter alia malign the superior judiciary, and is tantamount to committing contempt of court. SC registrar Dr Faqir Hussain said that if any person having information about such stay order, may bring it to notice of the court for placing the same before the CJ for fixation.