The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a contempt of court notice to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani’s brother Raziq Sanjarani. In his written order issued on Thursday, Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC ordered Raziq to submit his reply to the notice by evening. Raziq was also directed in the notice to appear in person before the court tomorrow. The order read that the government allotted Type 1 residence to Raziq until 2046 in violation of the rules. “This was despite the fact such residences are only allotted to grade-21 and grade-22 government officers,” the order said, adding, “The house was allotted at a time when he was serving as the managing director of Saindak Metals Limited.”

It was further stated that the secretary of Ministry of Housing failed to satisfy as to how Raziq was entitled to that house. Similarly, the order read, Estate Office officials too failed to satisfy that how a man, aged 33 or 34, could be a grade-22 officer.The order said that it was on September 1, 2023 that the court, for the first time, made Raziq party to the case and he was asked to submit his reply by September 15. “But he did not submit his reply, while his lawyer, on the other hand, sought more time from the court,” the order stated.

The court then told Raziq to submit his reply maximum by September 18. “A show-cause notice was also issued to him for violating the order, dated September 1,” read the order. But he, the order said, instead of replying to that notice, challenged the court’s jurisdiction. Justice Sattar made it clear that it was the court’s, and not respondent’s, discretion to determine its jurisdiction.The judge said that the very idea that a Senate chairman would wield his influence to facilitate his brother in such a manner was simply unthinkable. But not once Raziq filed his reply; neither did he accept the court’s jurisdiction, read the order.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)