Former judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, who recently formed a Committee for the Rule of Law (CRL), has called upon political parties to secure a neutral Election Commission (EC).
Addressing a press conference, the group of former judges said that the CRL include only those jurists, who refused to take oath on January 26, 2000 under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO-2000).
They informed the media persons that the CRL comprises two former Chief Justices of Pakistan, former Justice Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui and former Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid while former Judges of the apex court, former Justice Khalilur Rehman Khan , former Justice Mamoon Kazi, former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad, and former Justice Kamal Mansoor Alam are included in the six-member body. They said that it was imperative for holding free and fair election that the EC should be reconstituted.
The former jurist called for an EC fully empowered and acceptable to all the political parties taking part in the election process.
They also called for removal of all curbs on the print and electronic media enabling it to perform its due role of keeping the people informed about the important events in the country through objective reporting.
Former judges were of the view the lawyers were not the beneficiaries of their movement for independence of judiciary termed it the reason behind the success of their movement. To a question, former Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid said that all deposed Judges of superior courts should be reinstated to their positions that of November 2.