ISLAMABAD: In a startling “revelation”, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed on Monday that efforts are afoot to pave the way for Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa to continue as the top judge of the country for a “fixed tenure” as a bill in this regard will be presented in National Assembly after April 21 by-elections.

Speaking at a presser, PTI spokesman Raoof Hasan along with ex-chief minister Gilgit-Baltistan Khalid Khurshid, alleged that the bill to extend the tenure of Qazi Faez Isa will land in the house by the government as the top judge is playing a role to protect the “interests of the incumbent government and the powerful quarters” – the powerful military establishment.

In an obvious reference to the military establishment, he said that “on the dictation of powerful people, the government has prepared the bill aimed at extending the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa”.

Hasan made it crystal clear that PTI would strongly resist any bill violative to the set pattern of judges’ promotion to unduly facilitate Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Isa, as the current “mandate thieves” are seemingly planning to extend his tenure for three more years.

He said that the incumbent government is hell-bent on destroying state institutions and the PTI would not allow to change the set rule come what may through any kind of legislation.

He said that Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, is being denied justice as she is not being allowed medical examination from Shaukat Khanum Hospital despite having serious health issues.

“Today the judge said that he will pronounce the verdict in the iddat case, but public prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi, popularly known as the “tout lawyer”, reached the court only today after days of disappearance, to only threaten the judge,” he added.

He said that Abbasi sought four weeks to complete his arguments and walked off the rostrum during the hearing and the judge accepted his plea and adjured the hearing till April 24 instead of issuing a contempt of court notice to him.

He dubbed a statement issued by the Foreign Office regarding Iran’s retaliatory action against Israel, saying “the FO statement was weak, vague, ineffective, and inadequate” as it could not even dare to mention Israel’s name in the statement.

He went on to say that a shameful attempt was made to appease the foreign masters through half-hearted condemnation of the aggression of the global rogue element against Palestinians.

“If Imran Khan had not been imprisoned in concocted and politically motivated cases, the world could have seen his response to the Palestine issue,” he added.

About the assault on policemen in Bahawalnagar at the hands of military personnel, he said that the infighting between state institutions, especially those which deal with security matters is quite alarming.

He rejected the three-member body to probe the tragic incident and demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the clash between police and army personnel to bring the culprits to book.

Khalid Khurshid said that six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) wrote a letter that they were being pressured by state agencies, which was unfortunate, as the country has been made a laughing stock.

He maintained that any attempt to make a legislation to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Isa would be resisted tooth nail as it

is not acceptable.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024