ISLAMABAD: As a nine-judge bench of the top court is set to take up a suo motu notice of delay in holding polls in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday called for the formation of a full court to hear the case.

Speaking in the National Assembly, the minister who is also a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), stressed the importance of the issue at hand, saying that the government was committed to “run the country in accordance with the law and the Constitution” and that “we have always stood for the independence of the judiciary.”

“The issues at hand are important and the whole Supreme Court should sit and find lasting solutions,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to cross the line in criticism and the thing which we want is that the election date suo motu case should be heard by the full court.”

In the same breath, he said: “Why not examine if the assemblies’ dissolution was right or wrong? Or go back to when Article 63-A was rewritten? The top judiciary transgressed and rewrote the Constitution even though it is not their job”.

Terming himself a respondent affected by the judiciary’s decisions, he said “I would say with immense respect that this matter should have been raised by a full court instead of a nine-member bench”.

“The entire Supreme Court should find the solution to this issue”, he added.

He said that “when the judges will trespass into our territory, we also have the right to say that they did not fulfil their responsibilities.”

Referring to the Panama Papers case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he alleged the judges dealing with the reference had called the PML-N supremo various wrong names.

“This top judiciary should ask itself. It is not on me to explain the causes of this discrimination on the floor of the house but I will leave it up to the judiciary,” he added

He claimed that “confessions” of all those involved in the results of the Panama case — including the establishment, judiciary and PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi — had also come forward in the past few months.

“Why former justices Saqib Nisar and Asif Khosa are criticised and not Justice Nasirul Mulk,” he asked.

“I beseech the top court to constitute a full court bench and the matter is started from the Panama case,” he added.

Talking about the Supreme Court’s ruling on the interpretation of Article 63, he said that the constitutional crisis facing the country was the direct result of that ruling and also the reason behind the country coming to a “grinding halt economically, politically and otherwise”.

He further went on to say the “first constitutional accident” in the country took place when a judge declared the doctrine of necessity valid, adding that the “first political martyrdom” in the country was when former president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged.

The PML-N leader also lambasted PTI Chairman Imran Khan for not appearing in courts when they call him repeatedly, lamenting that such allowances were not made for the PML-N leaders when Sharif’s government was ousted.

Taking a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s court arrest movement, Asif said Qureshi’s son came to bail his father out, a day after his arrest.

“No one came for us when we were arrested for several days in our political life. We were sent to 90 days remand. PM and his daughter served jail for numerous days. No one got bail for this. On the other side, they [PTI] get instant bail,” said the minister.

The minister told the assembly that the incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government had inherited the economic mess from Imran Khan.

“We are trying to pull the country out of this economic situation. We know people are heavily burdened. We are cleaning the mess of the last government which will take time,” said Asif.

The lawmaker alleged that the PTI chief abused all of his well-wishers and those who supported him in bringing into power.

“Imran Khan bites the hands of those people who feed him. First time in history the appointment of chief of army staff was made controversial,” said Asif.

In his address, the Asif also briefed the assembly on his meetings in Afghanistan.

He said that the interim Afghan government had responded very well to Pakistan’s requests.

“But the question is…. would we launch the accountability of ourselves? People demand answers for the terrorist attacks. The lives of people and our law enforcement agencies’ personnel are endangered,” said Asif on the rising terrorism in the country.

He said that he signs letters to the martyrs’ families every month, lamenting that they were, unfortunately, increasing day by day.

The PML-N leader also said that former DG ISI Lt Gen (retired) Faiz and former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa were sitting in the National Assembly when they said that the Taliban have become peaceful.

“Is there anyone who can ask them about this? People will forget in some months the terror incidents but the victims will not. 86,000 lives were lost due to terrorism,” he added.

He said that there are people who come on foot to the parliament, on the other hand, there are people who have king-like lifestyles but no one dares to question them.

“When they travel on the road curfew is imposed,” he said.

The house also passed the Inter Boards Coordination Commission Bill, 2023. The bill was moved by Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain.

The Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Gas Theft Control and Recovery Amendment, Bill, 2023, were also laid before the house.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023