Storming the Supreme Court

A much-awaited case of storming of Supreme Court by Sharif Brothers has been re-opened, which was frozen in cold storage due to a secret deal between a military dictator and Sharif Brothers in early 2000s. I appreciate Interior Minister Rehman Malik for reopening this case and primarily it was the duty of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to hang culprits till death who had violated Article 6, of the Constitution of Pakistan. But now interior minister has taken the responsibility on his shoulders. BBC footages are also available of storming of Supreme Court.

This is a good development that an incomplete inquiry report is going to be completed and it will become a valid document. Evidences including the CCTV footages, FIR registered with the Secretariat police and investigation reports prepared by then SSP headquarters Taimour Ali Khan have been collected. Mr Khan’s incomplete inquiry is called so because the statements of main culprits – PML(N) leaders – could not be recorded as they were in detention and later they made a secret deal with dictator and fled the country.

How long will they ditch laws of the land? The capital police have issued notices to PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, asking them to appear before the senior superintendent of police within 10 days for interrogation in connection with the 1997 attack on the Supreme Court.

Nawaz Sharif did all this out of ego, abused his powers and stormed the Supreme Court. Supreme Court had appointed five new judges. Nawaz Sharif harshly criticised the Supreme Court. A contempt of court notice was issued to Nawaz Sharif. The court was about to hear the contempt of court case when Nawaz Sharif attacked the court. This case could have resulted in a disqualification of Nawaz Sharif.

Most of the analysts believed that Mr Sharif’s conflict with the Chief Justice, Mr Sajjad Ali Shah – in which the prime minister was accused of contempt of court – had reached the point of no return. The dispute between Mr Sharif and the Chief Justice had become personal, and that it was then impossible for them to reconcile their differences. Supporters of this theory were of the view that the incessant arguments between the two men had undermined their authority.

Chief Justice Iftikhtar Chaudary should have taken a suo motu of this case too for the sake of sanctity of the SC, but it is so sad that he did not. Police officers need to be sincere with their profession and they should help the interior minister for fixing the culprits of storming the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Gilani appeared thrice in the court, he respected the courts, he did not order his jiyalas to storm SC and as a result no untoward incident happened. How is it possible that MNAs of a ruling party and political secretary of the prime minister organise such unruly mob attack on Supreme Court without an approval of their boss? At least in Pakistan it is not possible because we have a fragile democratic setup and because of a lack of democratic institutions, personalities always shine and workers and legislators of political parties act according to the wishes of their leaders, especially when it is a ruling party.

DR SAIFUR REHMAN

Islamabad