Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has moved a summary with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to nominate a Supreme Court judge to head the commission to probe the alleged assassination of veteran politician and former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Sabir Baloch told Pakistan Today on Wednesday that under the law, the prime minister had the power to nominate a serving judge of the apex court to head any commission, however, the prime minister had written to the CJP according to procedure. Baloch denied a media report suggesting that the government had failed to set up a commission on Bugti’s killing, saying that the media should also seek the government’s version before filing reports.
The federal cabinet had decided in its meeting held in Quetta on July 13 to form the Bugti Probe Commission within a week’s time, but there has been no official word on the commission’s formation as of yet. “Technically, the prime minister has already announced the commission. However, the formal procedure is being adopted and the commission will be announced with the return of the prime minister from abroad and only the nomination of an apex court judge is being awaited by the government,” the PPP leader said.
However, the nationalist leaders of Balochistan reject the commission, saying there was no need for one. “Everything is crystal clear and there is no need to probe the assassination. We know and it is on record who killed Nawab Bugti and who claimed the killing. We just want the court to proceed further as per the names given in the FIR and give its verdict as soon as possible,” said Senator Shahid Hussain Bugti. Rejecting the government’s claim of forming the commission, the senator said this was a major part of the Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan Package, which was passed by parliament in 2008. “If anyone insists on the commission’s productivity, I would ask the government why it took three long years to form the commission.
Gilani asks CJP to name SC judge to head commission
