Senate supports judges

The Senate on Friday condemned the references filed by the government against the 'upright' and 'independent' judges of superior judiciary before the Supreme Judicial Council amid a rumpus in the House. In a bad day for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government in Senate, the house where the opposition is enjoying its numerical strength, also rejected a government bill - the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - aimed at increasing the strength of the judges in Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman and party's senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar opposed the government bill which the house rejected through the majority of vote by the opposition parties.
The opposition political parties were of the view that the Law Minister Farough Naseem had made a commitment with them in the Standing Committee on Law and Justice that an amended bill will be tabled in the House to ensure that priority will be given to the Islamabad Capital Territory in appointment of judges in the IHC.
However, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati termed the move an attempt of the opposition parties to protect the alleged corruption of their leadership.
As there was rumpus in the house when the opposition and treasury benches were exchanging harsh words, accusing each other of attacking the independence of judiciary - PML-N and other opposition parties for filing the fresh references against the judges of superior judiciary and the PTI's members recalling the PML-N's 1997 attack on Supreme Court - a resolution was moved to express solidarity with those judges who have been named in the references.
The rare resolution passed with a majority vote was moved by leader of the opposition in the Senate Raja Zarfarul Haque despite strong resistance by the treasury benches.
"The Senate of Pakistan strongly condemns the references filed by the government against the upright and independent judges of the superior judiciary before the Supreme Judicial Council," the resolution stated, adding, "while supporting across the board accountability, the Senate feels that these targeted references are malafied and politically motivated."
It further stated: "they [references] are direct attack on the independence of judiciary and are aimed at stifling the voices of reason, truth and justice in the highest judiciary".
The House through the resolution also expressed its full solidarity with the judiciary, lawyers' elected representatives and Bar Councils of the county, adding, "we are with them in this just struggle".
This was followed by sloganeering in the House as the opposition senators chanted slogans, condemning the filing of the references against the judges of the superior judiciary.
PTI senator Faisal Javed was witnessed exchanging harsh words, first with PPP's Bahramand Khan Tangi and later with PML-N's Pervez Rashid, when he was repeatedly interrupted while speaking on the bill and accusing the opposition of pursuing its agenda allegedly to protect corruption of their leaders.
Later talking to reporter outside the parliament house, leader of the house in the Senate Shibli Faraz accused the opposition parties of creating hurdles in the passage of pro-people legislation - The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - in the parliament.
He said that the bill was laid in the Senate seeking increase in the number of judges in Islamabad High Court but the opposition opposed it, adding that this shows that the opposition parties are not interested in any relief to the masses but are out to protect the corruption of their leaders.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati said it is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide justice to people at their doorstep and with a view to clearing thousands of pending cases, the bill was tabled for passage in the house. "But the opposition through its majority in the house rejected it which is unfortunate," Swati added.