ISLAMABAD (APP): Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday demanded the Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to form a full court to hear the suo motu notice case regarding delay in the announcement of a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking here in National Assembly, the minister said that a bench comprising nine judges is hearing this case but the matter is of utmost importance and the full court must consider it. “I do not want to give the impression that Parliamentarians are trespassing in the jurisdiction of the judiciary but I, as a political worker, demand to resolve this complicated situation which is being faced by the country during the last 7-8 months,” he added.
Asif said that a full court must start from the Panama case and give a decision which would have a great impact on the future of the country. All the stakeholders must be listened and such a solution be given which should be a roadmap for all. “ There are some ex-judges like Justice Muneer Hussain and Riaz Sheikh who are criticized but others like Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui and Nazim Siddiqui are known for their dignity,” he said and appealed to the judiciary to review why some amongst them are criticized yet.
He said that the territory of parliamentarians was trespassed in past and our leadership was also victimized. “We would also say that some of them (judges) had not fulfilled responsibilities assigned to them”, he added. Khawaja Asif said that a constitutional crisis was being faced because of re-defining Article 63-A of the constitution. He recalled the decision of the apex court about lifetime disqualification of the ex-Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and said that there would be no precedent of disqualification of a person of an institution by another institution.
The minister said there have been direct and indirect confessions by the people who remained involved in disqualification case of Nawaz Sharif and the full court of the apex court should start from the Panama case. Asif said that politicians are always blamed who serve the people by considering it as `worship’ but other elites are not named who enjoy during their services.
He said that the salary of a Member of the National Assembly is Rs 1,68, 000 only and some of them even come on foot from Parliament lodges to National Assembly because they cannot afford life style like rich persons. “ But there are some elites for whom traffic remains stuck for 15 minutes and the curfew-like situation is imposed on their movement,” he said adding that only politicians are criticized despite this on-ground reality.
Khawaja Asif said that a person was imposed on the country and he destroyed moral values and violated the constitution and law of the country. He said that National Assembly was dissolved with consensus of the President after observing the success of no-confidence motion which was our right as per the constitution.
The minister said those who sponsored former prime minister Imran Khan were being written in history and was a lesson for them. “They brought wrath to the country. The judiciary should not set precedents of such kind as is being set currently,” he added. He said the country was bleeding due to perpetual crisis for last 7-8 months. “Imran does not come out of his home, gets pre-arrest bail and then directs his party workers to offer their arrests. Imran’s medical record has not been done yet as he went to his own hospital,” he added.
He said that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was executed due to a decision of judiciary while Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was also disqualified due to another decision of the judiciary.” “If there are allegations on us then they are also not free from such blames. But there are some politicians whose names would be always taken with honor,” he added. He said that Parliament had been always restricted to perform its accountability role and incumbent head of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Noor Alam Khan did not get successful to make accountability of certain institutions which he wanted.
He said Pervaiz Elahi had told him that an amount of Rs. 1.2 billon was collected on a wedding ceremony of a bureaucrat who was not bothered to provide details of that money but politicians were always blamed despite their services for people. He added that the country could not proceed further under such circumstances as accountability of all was must. About PTI’s court arrest movement, he said that son of Shah Mehmood Qureshi came to get his father’s bail a day after his arrest.
“No one came for us when we were arrested for several days in our political life. We were sent on 90 days remand. Prime Minister and Maryam Nawaz were imprisoned for numerous days while Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif appeared 200 times in cases against him. No one got bail for this. On the other side, they (PTI leaders) get instant bail,” said the minister. He said that the country was made after a political struggle and not with the help of a “sponsored person”.
“They carry out photo sessions in front of a police van and then leave for home. Jail Bharo Tehreek has flopped. Now it should be doob maro film (Go die film),” said Asif. 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,” Asif said.
The lawmaker alleged that the PTI chief abused all of his well-wishers and those who supported him in bringing in into power. Khawaja Asif said that Pervaiz Khattak gave the name of Sikandar Sultan Raja for the Chief Election Commissioner after the consensus in his party but they were now opposing him. “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,” the minister added.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif while commenting on the recent visit of the Pakistani delegation to Afghanistan said some four ministers of the Cabinet were part of the delegation that held negotiations with the Afghan counterparts. The negotiations were responded very well, he said, adding, “But the question is would we launch accountability of ourselves. The lives of people and our law enforcement agencies’ personnel are endangered. The person who while holding a cup of tea said all will be well.”
“Our people’s life is in danger. Does anyone care or these people who have become mere numbers?” he queried at the floor of the House. The minister mentioned that he used to sign letters to the family members of the martyrs extending sympathies to them every month and the letters were increasing not declining. He added that these people (martyrs) were not numbers rather sons, fathers, and only support of their families.
At this stage, he regretted that there were certain factions in the society committing a pathetic show off of their wealth during these critical times. It was rather an ugly portrayal of money by the elites through their life style who believed that the poor people of Pakistan did not exist, he added.
Full court should hear case about dissolution of PAs: Asif
