Judicial bias will cause serious damage: Asma
ISLAMABAD: Noted lawyer Asma Jahangir on Wednesday said that if the judiciary continued to nourish political thinking, it would lead to irrecoverable loss. Talking to reporters, Asma said when the courts did not give rulings in accordance with the constitution and showed political bias, the common man lost confidence in courts. She said the Supreme Court should see Arsalan Iftikhar and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf with the same eye. She said justice should be practiced but the court should also follow some code of conduct. Asma alleged that the quickness in NRO case was part of a plan, which would cause serious damage to the country and democracy. She said she did not support the new contempt of court law, as many of its sections were against the spirit of the constitution, but restrictions could not be imposed on parliament by taking away its right of legislation. Online
Disqualifying another PM not in country’s interest: Azad
QUETTA: Supreme Court Bar Association President Yasin Azad on Wednesday said confrontation among the state organs had created a crisis like situation in the country and the disqualification of yet another prime minister was not in the interest of Pakistan. The judiciary must consider other options in the NRO judgment, he added. Addressing reporters, the SCBA president said national issues were being ignored by both the apex court and the mainstream political parties, which was leading the country towards crises. The SCBA president wanted the NRO judgment to be implemented in letter and spirit, but in view of the prevailing crises, it would be prudent to review other options to reach an amicable solution of the issue on NRO judgment, he said. Stressing the need for disposing of the cases of poor litigants pending in courts, Yasin deplored that an ordinary man had started questioning the dignity of the judiciary. APP
Ashraf might get disqualified, says Hafeez Pirzada
ISLAMABAD: Prominent lawyer Abdul Hafeez Pirzada on Wednesday said Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf might
also be disqualified from office if he did not write the letter to Swiss authorities. “I don’t think they (the government) are in a mood to write the letter,” he said. AGENCIES
Confrontation between institutions not in national interest: Naik
ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Farooq Naik on Wednesday said a clash between the institutions was not in the interest of anybody, therefore, it must be avoided at all costs. He said this during a meeting with Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa. Both the leaders expressed their desire of full support and cooperation in different areas. Furthermore, the law minister also discussed the proposed amendments in Pakistan Red Crescent Society Act with the governor. APP
PPP wants clash among institutions: Sanaullah
FAISALABAD: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday accused the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of desiring a clash among institutions to avert the masses’ attention from real issues. Talking to reporters, Sanaullah said the PPP government had promised to end load shedding during Ramadan, but the masses were bearing 10-12 hours of daily outages, especially at Sehr and Iftar times. He said “Tsunami Khan” (Imran Khan) had turned mad over the disclosure of his misdeeds and he was worried about what to do to save his face. Sanaullah said President Asif Ali Zardari was the king of liars and he had never seen a fraud like him. INP
Govt-judiciary tussle will lead to political destabilization: Mahmood
ISLAMABAD: Prominent jurist and former judge, Tariq Mahmood said it was a black day in the history of Pakistan when another prime minister has been given show-cause notice. Commenting to the Supreme Court’s order to Prime Minister Pervaiz Ashraf to appear in court on August 27 and explain why he had not written a letter to Swiss authorities regarding reopening of graft cases against President Asif Zardari, Mahmood said Ashraf will also be sent home if he does not come up with a satisfactory response and this situation will lead to political destabilization. AGENCIES
Sending PM home will hurt democratic process: Adeel
ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party Acting President Haji Adeel on Wednesday said if the apex court dismissed another prime minister, it would hamper the democratic and economic process in the country. Adeel said the government had written to the Swiss authorities once, and now the judiciary should opt for a middle way to solve the issue. He said the judiciary had an option to form a commission to write the Swiss letter. INP
Judiciary’s existence under threat: Qazi Anwar
ISLAMABAD: Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Qazi Anwar on Wednesday said the government’s stubbornness was threatening the very existence of the judiciary. Talking to a private TV channel, he said money-laundering case in the Swiss courts would become ineffective after August. The government would succeed in its policy of not writing the letter to re-open graft cases, he added. INP