The opposition on warpath
Imran Khan had hailed the formation of the present Supreme Court bench in December and subsequently issued several statements announcing that he would accept whatever verdict was delivered by the bench. Hours before the announcement of the verdict on Thursday PTI’s Central Information Secretary reiterated that his party would accept the SC verdict. The PPP leadership had frequently reminded the people that it had invariably accepted the courts’ rulings even when these went against the party. Within hours of the Supreme Court verdict on Panama case the parties went back on their earlier stands.
The NA proceedings on Friday were marred by the slogans of “Go, Nawaz go.” Talking to the media outside the Parliament House opposition leader called for Nawaz Sharif’s resignation.
What encouraged the parties to renege on their erstwhile stand is a loophole in the judgment. Three judges of the five member bench declared the evidence against Nawaz Sharif presently insufficient to send him home. A JIT was ordered however to conduct a probe into the money trail and report to the special bench of the SC in two months. Upon receipt of the JIT report, “issues relating to the disqualification of the PM may be taken up,” says the judgment. Herein lies the catch.
The majority of the judges expressed serious reservations about the evidence provided to show how the property was acquired by the Sharif family .The opposition considers that the JIT members being government employees and the heads of their institutions have been mostly appointed by the PM after through loyalty checks. The JIT’s findings therefore cannot be honest. The Supreme Court judgment provides the opposition an opportunity to call upon the prime minister to resign pending the investigation and resume the office if declared white. The confrontation is unfortunate and would cause uncertainty in the country. But it drives its rationale from an inadequate arrangement in the judgment upon which hinges the fate of the PM.