Islamabad - Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi yesterday urged the judiciary to exercise utmost caution while deciding sensitive cases and expressed reservations over the appointment procedure of the judges.
Repercussions of appointing a ‘weak’ person as judge has to be borne by everyone, he said, and complained that politicians were being stigmatised [by the higher judiciary].
Talking to the executive committee of the Parliamentary Reporters Association at the Prime Minister’s Office, Abbasi suggested change in the mechanism of appointment of judges, calling for holding public hearings for the appointments.
“If a weak person is appointed as a judge, there are consequences — for everyone to bear,” the prime minister said.
This apparent assault on the Supreme Court judges, especially Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, comes as the CJP has adopted a proactive stance in face of unrelenting attack on judiciary by the ruling PML-N leadership.
Without referring to any department, the premier said that everyone should have to work within their defined constitutional precincts for smooth functioning of statecraft.
“The judges should be very careful in deciding sensitive cases that entail serious implications. They decide about cases related to life and death, mega scandals, matters of national importance, etc.
“Their decisions can change the lives and have life-long consequences. These decisions can change fates,” said the prime minister.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leadership has been consistently targeting the superior judiciary since disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been asking at public meetings, Muje Kyun Nikala (why was I ousted from power)?
The criticism of judiciary that subsided for some time has surged again since the exoneration of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan in a corruption case filed against him by a PML-N leader.
The ruling party leadership has since then accusing the judiciary of doing ‘discriminatory accountability’, as Sharif family continues to bear the brunt of corruption cases in accountability court.
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who recently came to publicly defend the judges of Panama leaks bench against the ruling party onslaught, has been seen by some circles as reviving the judicial activism and replaying former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s ‘aggressive’ role.
The chief justice has, in the recent days, reiterated on multiple occasions to ensure across-the-board accountability, including that of the judicial system and dissemination of speedy and blanket justice to all. But this seems to have not gone down well with the ruling camp.
“Wrong precedents are being set here. The elected representatives are being stigmatised with derogatory terms — and are likened to the Sicilian Mafia,” the PM said.
“The politicians are being dragged in the courts on the daily basis in the name of accountability. But is it accountability? Is there anyone who can hold a dictator accountable? Can a dictator be questioned for his misdeeds?” he asked.
Reply to CJP’s censure
A few days back, CJP Nisar made a highly charged speech in which he slammed continued criticism on judiciary.
The chief justice referred to US Supreme Court’s verdict involving George W Bush and Al Gore to solve a dispute regarding 2000 presidential election in the United States as worst in the American judicial history.
The chief justice said the US public criticised the decision based on its demerits and then decided to move on without hurling below-the-belt accusations at the judiciary.
“That was the worst decision but nobody in the US smelled a rat in the motives of the judiciary. If you don’t agree with a decision, fine. You have the right to disagree and critically evaluate any court decision. But don’t cross the line,” he said.
In apparent response, PM Abbasi said the entire life history of the judges in the US and the rest of the world comes under scrutiny before their appointments.
He said each and every aspect of people to be appointed as judges should be examined thoroughly, and each and every aspect of their lives should be brought under focus – as is the common practice in modern democracies such as the UK, the US and other developed countries.
“The face of the judges should be brought in front of the nation. In the entire world, parliament monitors the functioning of the judiciary. The judges who are at the helm — take a look at their record. The public should know what they are doing,” he said in an implied yet obvious jibe at the country’s top judges.
No NRO
Ruling out any underhand deal or National Reconciliation Ordinance for its leadership, Abbasi firmly said that the ruling party would enter the election arena under the leadership of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
He said that those who had done NRO with the then dictator Pervez Musharraf were now in PML-Q, PTI and the Pakistan People’s Party.
The prime minister reiterated that the government would complete its mandated constitutional term and the incumbent set-up would be presenting the sixth annual budget.
PM dares opp to bring no-trust motion
Abbasi put weight behind Sharif, the party chief, saying the PML-N’s vote bank belongs to the ex-premier.
“It’s not about me or Shehbaz Sharif. We are not the vote-winners. Our party’s vote bank belongs to Nawaz Sharif. It’s his pictures that the votes get attracted to, not ours. Like always, for the PML-N, the 2018 elections entirely depend on Nawaz Sharif.”
He once again dared the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion against him in parliament, saying “if the opposition has the courage and capacity, it should move a no confidence-motion”.
“There are two options to have the National Assembly dissolved; if the party chief (Sharif) and our parliamentary party ask me to dissolve the assembly, I will. The second option is no-confidence motion against me. There is no third option. A few months are left for the government to complete its term. Opposition better wait.”
He said both the Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition would decide about the caretaker prime minister through consultation.
Abbasi said that this time around he would try to bring people of impeccable credibility in the caretaker set-up unlike the past practice where those assigned the task had allegedly indulged in unprecedented corruption.
To a question, he said that those who were cursing the parliament would meet their fate in the next general elections. To another question, he said talks with such elements would only be held during the next polls.
He said both Imran Khan and Asif Zardari had also joined Tahirul Qadri and only the masses would decide the fate of those, who were protesting.
Abbasi said it would be better if the opposition brought about any debatable issue in the parliament instead of tearing apart the agenda copies in front of the speaker’s dais.
No military threat from US
To a question, the prime minister said that Pakistan was never under threat of any military action from the United States adding that both Islamabad and Washington wanted to see solution to the Afghanistan problem.
He further said that Pakistan wanted home grown solution to the Afghanistan problem and wanted cooperation of the international community in that regard because stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan.
Abbasi said that the United States had spent well over 12 billion dollars in Afghanistan, which was far more than the defence budget of Pakistan, but could not secure desired results.
Pakistan wanted to facilitate peace in Afghanistan for which cooperation among all the stakeholders is a must, he added.
The prime minister further reminded that the international community must keep in consideration over three million Afghan refugees Pakistan was hosting and must come up with some concrete plan for their repatriation to their homeland.
CPEC is not East India Company
To a question, Abbasi said those drawing parallels between the CPEC and the East India Company were in fact unaware of history. Giving any such equation was wrong and irrational.
China is Pakistan’s time-tested friend and the investment under the CPEC is being utilised on power plants, motorways and industrial zones, Abbasi said.
“China will invest its money in any other country, if we fail to take advantage of it,” he said, adding the protection of Chinese workers in Pakistan was collective responsibility.
Earlier, the PRA president also apprised the prime minister of the functions and objectives of the association. Later, the delegation also presented a souvenir to the prime minister.
PM Abbasi later visited the ‘Monument of the Unsung Heroes of Democracy’ at the Parliament House to pay homage to the Pakistanis who “rendered sacrifices for upholding democracy and struggled for civil liberties and rights guaranteed under the constitution”, according to an official statement.
The PM laid a wreath on the monument. Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Deputy Chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan and other lawmakers were also present on the occasion.
PM takes on ‘weak judges’
Our Staff Reporter