Parliament can undo SC verdict: Khosa

Punjab Governor Latif Khosa on Saturday said parliament could undo the Supreme Court verdict as court orders fall under parliament’s jurisdiction.
Addressing a “meet the press” programme at the Lahore Press Club, he said people who were a product of martial law did not know about the significance of democracy and the constitution. “Nawaz Sharif talks about an independent judiciary and a free media but it were PML-N workers who had attacked the daily Jang office and opened fire on it and journalists were attacked by PML-N activists at Muslim League House on Davis Road when they took out a rally against the incident,” he added.
He said, “During the recent period of Chhotay Mughal-e-Azam, journalists were treated harshly at the Punjab Assembly.” He said until today the walls of the Supreme Court testified a PML-N attack on the building. “We know how much they respect the Supreme Court,” he said. He said huge amendments had been made to the Contempt of Court Act 1976 and 11 A were added to it in the Nawaz period. “The same law existed in Nawaz and Musharraf eras and it still exists in the country today but the law under which the prime minister has been convicted does not exist at all,” he added.
He said the PPP had always respected the judiciary and PPP workers were asked not to raise any slogan and do anything to ridicule the judiciary after the verdict. “We still have the right to appeal,” he added. He said there was no emergency in the country which prompted the Supreme Court to issue a short order. “It should have been better if the complete decision of the court had been announced,” he added.
He said only the people could elect a prime minister and they had the right to remove him. He said, “The Punjab chief minister does not accept the president and his brother Nawaz Sharif is against the prime minister. Does it happen anywhere in the world?” He said on the day when the Supreme Court announced its decision, people positively responded in the evening in the favour of the PPP candidate who won by-elections in Multan.
“The Sharif brothers are asking for removing the prime minister because he was following the constitution,” he added. He said the PPP believed in the people and transparent elections and always wanted to strengthen the country. To a question, he said it was not mentioned in the short order that the prime minister had been disqualified. He said, “If the prime minister writes a letter to Swiss courts, it will degrade the entire people of Pakistan, parliament and the armed forces because under the constitution the president has immunity.”
He said the PML-N always wanted to come to power through backdoors but it would not happen now as the people were fully aware and the media was vibrant. He said former minister Babar Awan and former law secretary Masood Chishti stabbed the PPP in the back. The governor said the court focused its full attention towards making cases against the leadership of PPP during last four years. The behaviour of the court was inappropriate, which should be mended. The court should fix its affairs. Later, he announced Rs 2 million for the extension of the Lahore Press Club cafeteria.