Nawaz doubts govt’s commitment to free judiciary

The government wants to use parliament as a shield against the judiciary to hide its corruption, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said on Monday.
“By indulging in confrontation with the Supreme Court, the government is converting the country into a failed state,” Nawaz told reporters after chairing a PML-N parliamentary party meeting at the Parliament House. He said parliament did not belong to a single person and vowed that the PML-N would not allow the government to use parliament as a shield in clash with the judiciary. “The government has never really accepted an independent judiciary therefore it always adopts the path of confrontation with it which increases the country’s problems,” he said.
“Parliament should give its decision per dictates of its conscience and side with the judiciary for the cause of its independence … we are bringing a resolution for the independence of judiciary,” he announced. Nawaz said the members of the treasury benches should not become a tool against the judiciary. “The members of the coalition partners should also not become scapegoats for the corrupt government,” he said.To a question on the formation of new provinces, Nawaz said the government was not sincere in this regard. “The PML-N will support the formation of new provinces if these are made on proper administrative basis and not on linguistic grounds,” he said.
He said Pakistan was heading towards destruction with the government involved in corruption. Nawaz observed the country was currently faced with crises but the institutions were being pitted against each other for sake of personal interests.
On the issue of Sohail Ahmad, Nawaz said bureaucracy had set a glaring example by demonstrating protest by wearing black strips asking the bureaucracy to demonstrate same spirit of protests against dictators.
Meanwhile, expressing anger over the absence of PML-N parliamentarians from parliamentary party meeting, Nawaz asked Chief Whip Sheikh Aftab Ahmed to seek an explanation from those absent from the meeting.
Nawaz arrived at the meeting on time but was stunned to see only 70 of the 97 parliamentarians present in the crucial meeting.
A source told Pakistan Today that Nawaz, who had come to chair his parliamentary party meeting in the Parliament House after 12 years, directed all parliamentarians to remain in the capital and attend the complete session.