In a notarized affidavit, an ex-chief justice of the Gilgit-Baltistan apex court levelled serious allegations against former chief justice Saqib Nisar, stating that he was witness to then CJP Saqib Nisar’s order to a high court judge not to release Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on bail at any cost before the 2018 general elections.
“Mahmood Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif must remain in prison till the general elections are completed. “After reassurance from the other side, he (Saqib Nisar) grew calm and cheerfully ordered another cup of tea,” says the affidavit of the former top court of the United Kingdom, referring to Pakistan’s then top judge.
Shamim’s statement was delivered under oath before the Oath Commissioner on November 10, 2021, according to the document. The ex-CJ of Gilgit Baltistan’s signature and a photograph of his NIC card are included in the notarized document. On November 10, 2021, the notary public stamped the affidavit and noted that it was “sworn under oath Before me.”
Before the general elections on July 25, 2018, Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were both found guilty in a corruption case by an accountability court. Their attorneys had petitioned the court for a stay of execution, but the matter was postponed until the final week of July after preliminary hearings.
Rana Shamim first verified the content of the affidavit provided to him in a WhatsApp call by this correspondent when contacted on Sunday. He then stated that he could not properly hear this writer. He was promptly contacted back, but his WhatsApp was discovered to be switched off. He also did not return calls that were made to him on a regular basis. Later, his phone was discovered to be switched off. After a brief pause, the former top judge of the United Kingdom issued a text message to this correspondent from a different phone number, confirming the contents of the statement.
When questioned, former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar unequivocally denied ever instructing any of his subordinate judges in connection with any judicial order, whether it concerned Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, or anybody else.
The following is the substance of Shamim’s sworn declaration, except for the editing of the name of the high court judge:
“I, Justice Dr Rana Muhammad Shamim, former Chief Judge of Gilgit Baltistan’s Supreme Appellate Court (31 August 2015 to 30 August 2018), make the following statement under oath: –
1. At July 2018, while I was Chief Judge of the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit Baltistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the then-Chief Justice of Pakistan, visited Gilgit for holidays with 27 family members and slept in the court’s guest home.
2. One evening, while my late wife, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, and his wife were enjoying tea on the lawn, I noticed the Chief Justice of Pakistan was very disturbed and was constantly talking on the phone to his registrar, instructing him to go to the residence of Justice ——— of ——— and request that he call him immediately (the CJP).
3. If his call is not answered, please inform him on behalf of Mian Saqib Nisar that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif must not be freed on bail before the general elections.
4. That he called to Justice ——— immediately shortly afterward and instructed him that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif must remain in jail till the general elections are completed. He grew relaxed after receiving confirmation from the other side and cheerfully asked another cup of tea.
5. As his colleague and host, I urged that he spend his vacations in the United Kingdom with his family, and then inquired as to why he sent such a message to Justice, and for what purpose. “Rana Sahib, you will never understand,” he continued. It’s best if you act as if you’ve never heard anything.” In front of my late wife and his wife, I told him that Mian Nawaz Sharif had been wrongly accused, and that his and Maryam Nawaz’s sentences had been manipulated, as evidenced by his phone conversations. “Rana Sahib, the chemistry of Punjab is different from Gilgit Baltistan
6,” he added, first alarmed. That everything has been freely presented above constitutes the entire truth