ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice-president Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday flayed the judiciary for not standing up against any dictator during nearly 40 years of military rule over the country.
Addressing the PML-N lawyers’ convention in Rawalpindi, Maryam who is also the party’s chief organizer, said that in the 75-year history, Pakistan was under military rule for nearly 40 years.
“Not a single elected prime minister completed his or her term and four dictators came and completed 10 years each. But no court dared to stand up against them,” she maintained.
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She added that elected prime ministers were thrown out of their offices. “But no court put up a brave face to bring any dictator to justice. Has any dictator been disqualified by a court? No.
But elected prime ministers were disqualified,” she further maintained. Her statement comes amid criticism over the Supreme Court’s three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, ruling over the elections’ delay in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
She also criticised the chief justice for his remarks about the parliamentarians during one of the hearings of election delay case.
“When the parliamentarians were talking about law and Constitution, you taunted them. Do you know how prideful it is to go to jail for an ideology,” she asked the CJP in reference to his remarks in which he had reportedly referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and stated that “the people who served prison terms in the past and is now making speeches in parliament”.
She further stated that she got to know that the chief justice had gotten emotional during one of the hearings of the election delay case.
“He should have gotten emotional when I spent five months in Adiala Jail and five months in NAB’s (National Accountability Bureau) custody… He should have felt emotional when an elected prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) was ousted on the basis of an expired Iqama,” she added.
She claimed that the election of 2018 won by Nawaz Sharif was given to Imran Khan. “Why didn’t you get emotional then? Why didn’t you get emotional when your brother (judge) Justice QaziFaez Isa was suffering,” she further asked the CJP.
According to her, those politicians were in jail because General Faiz, then ISI chief, had the judicial system in control.
“He would force judiciary members with videos and seek desired verdicts,” she claimed, alleging that PTI Chairman Imran Khan was a facilitator of the former DG ISI. In reference to Imran Khan, she said that the chief justice should have mentioned those who went into hiding the moment court summons were sent to them.
“Imran Khan and his facilitators know that the crime has been committed. His facilitators are in the judiciary. These days, a new trend has begun to get bail in 12 cases simultaneously,” she further stated. She added that PML-N leaders, including Rana Sanaullah remained in jail for six months and they had a smile on their faces when they were freed. “But Imran and his men are getting bail within two hours,” she criticised.
“The entire system is trying to bring him in front of the court, but he is resisting and even when he does come to court, but with a crowd,” she said, adding that if this is the precedent which is being set.
She further questioned CJP Bandial allegedly for encouraging Imran Khan who violated the Constitution and “now he is causing anarchy in the country.”
Maryam further claimed that Imran Khan and “his facilitators” have a plan in store, which will be executed by September before the new chief justice takes charge. Referring to the apex court’s decision on election delay, she likened it to the “facilitation done by Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Gen Faiz in 2017”.
“How can the chief justice expect us to accept a decision that even his brother judges are not accepting,” she asked, adding that the CJP excluded from the bench those judges who had raised legal reservations and instead brought those judges who favoured him.
She maintained that there are the same judges on every bench. During Nawaz Sharif’s trial, she added that Justice IjazulAhsan was a part of the monitoring bench and the second judge has severe corruption allegations against him.
She also accused the top judge of “rewriting the Constitution” and facilitating Imran Khan with the verdict. “Imran Khan was given the Punjab government on a plate and was even facilitated at the time of the dissolution of the assemblies. The same two judges in the Supreme Court, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice IjazulAhsan, suddenly thought of writing a note to the chief justice and urged him to take a suomotu notice on the elections,” she added.
The PML-N leader also urged the chief justice to take notice of the recent audio leaks, including the one purportedly featuring Justice Naqvi.
Maryam alleged that the CJP has taken the role of the Election Commission, Defence Ministry, Parliament, prime minister, Finance Ministry, and the government. “If you want to take all the political decisions, then the Parliament can work on constitutional matters,” she maintained.
Maryam also questioned the apex court’s verdict only on election in Punjab and pending the same matter in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
“Why the Constitution, which was used for Punjab, was not being implemented in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa? What should the people think? That the entire fight is over Punjab,” she asked.
She also stated that elections would take place on time and predicted that Imran Khan would emerge as a loser whenever the polls are held. Referring to Imran Khan’s statement that his wife Bushra Bibi was not a public office holder, she asked as to whether she and Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s wife Sarina Isa were treated like public office holders?
She also criticised Imran Khan for not declaring Tyrian White as his daughter.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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