The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave another 10 days to the government in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case, with the five-judge bench warning Law Minister Farooq Naik to get the Swiss letter drafted by October 5 in line with para 178 of the court judgment, else the court would initiate contempt proceedings against the government.
The bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, observed that if the government failed to comply with its order of writing the letter to Swiss authorities by October 5, the court would be compelled to resume contempt of court proceedings.
“This should be treated the last adjournment vis-à-vis drafting of the communication … we expect that no further delay would be caused in the matter and any further delay may impinge upon the bona-fide of the federal government, prompting the bench to proceed in contempt of court forthwith,” Justice Khosa remarked. With the court proceedings starting, Farooq H Naik presented the drafted letter to be written to Swiss authorities to the Supreme Court. He requested the bench to examine the letter in the judges’ chambers due to the sensitivity of the matter. However, two judges expressed difference of opinion about examining the letter in chambers, with one learned judge stating that all proceedings should be transparent.
However, after a brief discussion, the bench reassembled in the chamber and deliberated upon the letter.
The draft was discussed in the chambers by the judges who later summoned Naik and the government’s counsel Waseem Sajjad into the chambers. The bench remarked that if the government did not comply with its order of writing the letter to Swiss authorities by October 5 in line with SC instructions, the court would be compelled to resume contempt of court proceedings.
The law minister assured the court that the draft of the letter would be improved in light of para 178 of the NRO judgment. Later, the bench also shared the details of its proceedings held in the chamber. “We had a detailed discussion on draft communication … and pointed out to the law minister that certain aspects of the draft letter did not meet the requirement of para 178 of the NRO judgment,” Justice Khosa said.
The court adjourned the proceedings until October 5 after Naik made a request to the court for an adjournment, adding that the issue would be resolved by the next hearing.
Talking to reporters later, Naik said since he was not the final authority on the matter, he needed to consult Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
He said that was the reason he had sought more time from the court.
Praising the bench, the law minister said the judges were “very gracious and kind”, and they gave him time until October 5 for any consultation that he needed to do for any advice he needed and complete the letter so that the matter could be resolved.
He said that all pillars of the state needed to have harmony and should avoid clashes so that the country could move forward on the path of progress.
Naik dispelled rumors of behind-closed-doors threats and said there were no secrets, adding that it was a pressure-free decision by the court.
He said there was no bone of contention and all observations of the bench would be taken into consideration while resolving this matter, adding that the matter would be resolved amicably because implementation of the court’s verdict was everyone’s duty.
Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira said summoning respondents to the chambers was a routine matter for the court, as people to be consulted needed to be taken into confidence.
Yet another deadline on Swiss letter
