ISLAMABAD: A day after the government took exception to a letter written by the Supreme Court’s assistant registrar to the National Assembly speaker regarding the premier’s contempt case, the Supreme Court released a statement defending the move as “regular practice”.
In the letter, the NA speaker was purportedly directed to take action against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in light of the Supreme Court verdict.
The apex court, however, clarified the move, saying it is regular practice under the Supreme Court Rules 1980 and “there is nothing improper in following this procedure”.
In a statement issued by the Supreme Court on Sunday, it said all court orders, without any exception, were forwarded to concerned authorities and departments for implementation and compliance.
Two orders were passed on April 26 by a seven-member bench in a contempt case against Prime Minister Gilani regarding the non-implementation of NRO judgment.
The statement said that the orders “were duly communicated to the concerned (including above-mentioned) authorities/departments for action/compliance”.
During a press conference on Saturday, Law Minister Farooq H Naek termed the letter written to NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza “illegal.” He said that the letter from the assistant registrar directing Mirza to take action against the premier was a blatant “violation” of the law.
“We will bring a privilege motion against the Supreme Court’s assistant registrar as the letter is illegal and a clear violation of the rules and procedures. He has directed the speaker to take action at the earliest which we believe is an offence to parliament,” Naek had stated.
He went on to say that the “parliament’s privilege has been disparaged by the letter directing the speaker to take action in the prime minister’s contempt case.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Farooq Naek being Law Minister need not conduct such a press conference.
Very convinient
We are ashamed to have elected these incompetent people. God please forgive us.
Even a peon of the PCO SC thinks they are superior to the parliament. There are SC procedures and there is constitution, written by parliament which is supreme. How could a clerical staff of SC write a letter to speaker even before the formal written order by the judges? Does the staff know what the judges are going to write? Why so much of a hurry? If the court is in a hurry then write the order and get it over with. The PM would have a right to appeal if he wants but first the order then the rest.