PTI assails Maryam’s remarks against sitting SC judges

Fawad says Pakistan Bar Council is also making an effort to make SC controversial on dictation of PML-N.

SLAMABAD       -   The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-In­saf (PTI) on Thursday lashed out at the ruling coalition led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for allegedly making controversial the apex court.

Some senior leaders of the party in their separate statements also criti­cised the PML-N Senior Vice Presi­dent Maryam Nawaz for her harsh remarks against the judges of the Su­preme Court at a public rally in Sar­godha. Maryam in her fiery speech accused the former and serving members of the higher judiciary for ‘conspiring’ against her father and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led ruling alliance was making the higher judiciary controversial. Reject­ing the criticism of PML-N on the for­mation of nine-member SC bench that is hearing a suo motu case about hold­ing of general elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that bench also comprised five judges who had rejected a ruling of the speaker National Assembly paving way for the formation of present government and the cabinet. “PTI at that time had not objected to these honourable judges.” 

Chaudhry also claimed that Paki­stan Bar Council (PBC) was also mak­ing an effort to make controversial SC on the dictation of PML-N. He said that a government-supported group in PBC was allegedly involved in run­ning an organized campaign against the apex court following their meet­ing with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He rejected the reference filed by a lawyer against Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi for allegedly having assets beyond known sources.

Former human right minister and PTI Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari came down hard on Maryam for her critical remarks against the judiciary. She said that the PML-N leader was following in the footsteps of her father who used to play cricket with the empires of her own choice. She added that the ruling party was in the habit of criticizing SC if it did not get favourable decisions. PTI leader Senator Shibli Faraz said that Maryam was blatantly criticiz­ing Supreme Court judges by name. “(Chairman PTI) Imran Khan was booked for giving a comment on a ju­nior judge and dragged in courts,” he said and added, “Are we going to see contempt proceedings against her or we have two different standards?”