ISLAMABAD: Former Defence Minister and eminent lawyer Shahid Hamid, in a statement, said that even though the Supreme Court decision in the Panama case is being celebrated by many in the country, the decision is wrong.
People say that “all hail to those who made this decision”, but why? The reason to disqualify Nawaz Sharif on the basis of his ‘salary’ is absurd.
The Supreme Court and the ruling party, PML-N, both have a relentless approach when it comes to a rational debate, he said. It looks like “my mind is already made up” after observing the scenario, he said.
“But would this decision have been taken if the undrawn salary was the only charge (all others have been referred for trial) or the matter overlooked as an inconsequential omission?”
He added this raises another question that ‘does the end justify the means’; or as TS Eliot said: “The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason”.
A flashback: in 2016, MNA Justice (retd) Iftikhar Cheema was disqualified by the SC from NA 101 for concealing his wife’s assets, but later he was allowed to contest the by-election two months later, in which he was re-elected.