IHC orders Firdous to file reply in contempt case.

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday directed Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information, to submit a written reply to a contempt of court notice issued to her for scandalizing the judiciary.

Dr Firdous appeared before the IHC bench and tendered her 'unconditional apology' - her second one in less than a week - for her remarks regarding a case.

However, the bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah directed Awan to submit her written response in this matter till the coming Saturday and deferred the proceedings till November 11.

It was October 30 when the same bench had issued a notice to Awan under Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003, according to which she maligned the court while giving a statement that the hearing of a petition on the release of former premier Nawaz Sharif on Saturday evening was 'a special dispensation'.

Later, the court accepted Awan's unconditional apology on November 1 and issued her another show cause notice for prejudicing the pending proceedings related to the petition seeking suspension of Nawaz Sharif's sentence.

During the hearing, Justice Athar said that it is a huge crime to level allegations in a subjudice matter. He added that this court would not favour anyone and action would be...