ISLAMABAD -  Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday said they had no political agenda but wanted to safeguard fundamental rights of the people, ensuring them clean drinking water and provision of basic health facilities at cheaper prices.

A three-judge bench, headed by the chief justice, was hearing a suo motu case regarding increase in prices of medicine.

The chief justice said that it was his desire that poor people of the country get basic health facilities at affordable rates and also get clean drinking water as available to the people in other countries.

“By God, I have no political agenda and even don’t want to touch political cases, but have to hear them when filed before this apex court,” the CJP remarked.

Justice Nisar stressed the lawyer’s community to assist the court in provision of basic commodities of life to the people of the country at cheaper prices.

It is time to do something for the welfare of the downtrodden of the country and our intentions are very much clear in this regard,” he said.

Justice Nisar said it was his desire that medicine should be available to the people at affordable rates.

The chief justice urged that the increase in drug prices could be made only in line with the policy of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

He added that the apex court would personally monitor the matters pertaining to the hike in price of medicine and would issue proper guidelines to other courts to prevent unnecessary stay orders.

Meanwhile, the court directed the pharmaceutical companies to deliberate upon the issue and devise a unified formula for resolving the issue and come up before it with an amicable solution.

The case was adjourned till Wednesday (today).

FIA given a week to file case against Haqqani

The Supreme Court gave the Federal Investigation Agency one week to prepare a dossier on Interpol objections and for registration of a case against former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani.

Additional Attorney-General (AAG) Waqar Rana informed the court that whenever proceedings in the case start, Husain Haqqani would become active, and a lobby would start working against the country.

He requested the chief justice to hear him in his chamber. After the hearing, AAG and Barrister Zafarullah, chairman Wattan Party, met the chief justice in his chamber regarding the matter.

Earlier, during the proceedings, Rana further told the court that on February 22 the Interpol wrote to the FIA apprising about the reservations on issuance of red warrant of Haqqani. He said, therefore, they were preparing a dossier to address the objections.

Rana said that the Interpol says that there should be a two years sentence, while the court has issued a show cause notice, in a contempt of court, in which the maximum punishment was six months.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, is hearing suo motu in the memogate case.

Barrister Zafar, the petitioner, said for the last eight years this case was pending. He said the government had a fast communication system and had an extradition treaty with the USA, which applied equally on both.

The chief justice said they had started hearing this case after a long time. “I don’t know whether Husain Haqqani is a dual national or not? The Interpol has to execute the order.  They [FIA] know how to approach him,” the chief justice said.

Zafar said there were criminal offences against Haqqani and all those matters had been discussed in the Memo Commission. He has committed high treason and despite his commitment has not appeared before the court.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan said: “The national requirement has to be fulfilled. There is [a] process of issuing red warrant that has to be completed.”

The chief justice said after the commission report what had the FIA done. He inquired whether the commission report prohibited anyone from taking steps to bring Haqqani back.

The CJP asked the AAG to proceed with the matter boldly.

Rana told the court that the FIA was considering registering a case against Haqqani. He said after 2013 this case was dumped.

The chief justice told him that they could give one week to the FIA for whatever action they wanted to take they could take. The case was adjourned for one week.