Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday accused Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of committing contempt of court by criticising the Quetta attack inquiry report.
“Nisar’s press conference was a direct attack on the Supreme Court (SC). Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who headed the Quetta inquiry commission, is a serving judge of the apex court, not a retired one. The interior minister’s statement is contempt of court,” PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters after a PTI meeting at Bani Gala. PTI Chairman Imran Khan had chaired the meeting.
Qureshi said that the PTI would take up the issues of interior minister’s press conference and contradictions in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statements regarding Panamagate in Parliament.
He also demanded the resignation of Nisar, Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri and Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti over the inquiry report.
“During the meeting, the party leadership decided to raise the issues of Panamagate and Quetta commission report vociferously in both houses of Parliament,” he said.
He said that the PTI would take opposition parties onboard over the issues and would try to evolve a joint strategy to give a tough time to the government.
Qureshi said that the PM should come to the National Assembly and clarify his statements over Panamagate.
“The PTI will seek an explanation from the premier over contradictions in his statement given on the floor of the House and his reply submitted in the SC through his counsel in the Panamagate case,” Qureshi said.
“If Nawaz Sahrif still stands by his statement given in National Assembly, then he should take back the Qatari prince’s letter submitted in the SC and dispel this ambiguity by coming to the House,” the PTI leader said.
He said that Imran Khan would also come to the National Assembly when the PM attended the session. “The PTI will submit its answer in the Panama Leaks case in the Supreme Court in January,” he said.
Qureshi said that he had contacted Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and Leader of the Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan to evolve a joint strategy in Parliament. “I will meet them before the Parliamentary session starts. I will also contact leaders of the other opposition parties, including Shaikh Rasheed,” he said.
“The Quetta Commission report has exposed the inefficiency and failures of the incumbent government,” he said.
Lashing out at the interior minister, he said that PTI’s youth convention in Islamabad had been baton-charged despite the fact that the party had been granted permission to hold the event. “However, ironically a banned group was allowed to hold rallies in the federal capital. Who allowed the head of one of these outfits to sit in a meeting with the interior minister,” he said.
Referring to military courts, he said that the relevant law would lapse on January 7. “The military courts will cease to exist if the relevant amendment to the Constitution is not extended. The government must clarify its policy regarding the amendment. There has been no progress on judicial reforms to replace the military courts. So how will the government deal with terrorism?” he asked.
On Saturday, Chaudhry Nisar had criticised the findings of the commission formed to investigate the Quetta attack. He had announced to challenge it all forums, including the Supreme Court and the Parliament.
The inquiry commission had criticised the federal interior minister, the Balochistan chief minister and home minister for providing misleading information following the attack, which had claimed more than 70 lives. PTI has now accused Nisar of contempt of court for criticising the inquiry findings.
Interestingly, PTI itself has been critical of judicial decisions. Recently, Imran Khan had said that there was an impression that the new SC chief justice was a sympathiser of the ruling party.
