- A baptism of fire for Justice Nasirul Mulk
Many had had lost hope of a consensus after Khurshid Shah broke off talks with Prime Minister Abbasi on Friday and said that he would now go for decision by the parliamentary committee. The PPP presumably had second thoughts about the move as the party was likely to be isolated in the committee. Whatever the reason, the decision to reopen the talks has led to the selection of former CJ Nasirul Mulk as a consensus candidate despite his originally being on the list of the PML-N only. While Justice Mulk’s name did not appear on the PTI’s list, the party had later said it was willing to support him. The nomination has been welcomed by a number of other political parties also.
Conducting fair and free elections in a highly charged political environment is no cakewalk. While Justice Nasirul Mulk has yet to take oath, politicians are talking about what they expect from the new caretaker prime minister. A political leader wants him to find a capable finance minister while another one expects him to ensure that the loopholes that created a controversy about 2013 elections are removed. Justice Mulk has had an eight month stint as Acting Chief Election Commissioner. He also chaired the three-member Judicial Commission that probed complaints of irregularities in 2013 election. It would however pose a considerable challenge to retain the image of dignity, composure and fairness built up over years inside the serene confines of the SC as Justice Mulk enters the political minefield. What inspires one with hope is that at 68 he is hopefully more energetic than Justice Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim.
It is ironical that while political parties frequently criticise judiciary, whenever it comes to nominating caretaker prime ministers or ECP chiefs or RO’s and DRO’s they turn to judges. Bureaucrats are generally shunned as they are suspected of having developed political links during their service. After a highly unsatisfactory performance of a bureaucrat a former SC judge was chosen this time as NAB chief. Civil society figures and rights activists are rejected, often wrongly, for being controversial. This narrows down the field of choice which is unfortunate.
