Strip judges of power to make judicial appointments, says Bilawal

The judiciary has been guilty of judicial murder, says Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

LAHORE:

“Politicians have made mistakes, in the past…so has the establishment. The judiciary, meanwhile, has made blunders,” Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his speech at the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Monday.

He said, in the past, the judiciary had also been guilty of judicial murder. “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s murder is but one example.”



The PPP chairperson criticised the manner of appointing judges. “Judges need to be stripped of the power to make judicial appointments. This power should rest with the parliament.”

He said it was a shame that no woman had been made a chief justice so far.

Zardari said there would be no clashes if all state institutions continued working within their constitutional limits. “Unfortunately, the president and the prime minister have little discretion in appointing judges.”

He said the National Action Plan was an “N-League plan”.  “Why aren’t any terrorists being arrested in the Punjab?”

He said corruption was a social issue and must be eliminated regardless of what sacred cow comes its way. “Why doesn’t anyone have the power to hold the prime minister from Lahore accountable?” He said everyone should be equal before law. Zardari said that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had signed the Charter of Democracy in 2006 . “Why isn’t then democracy being practiced?”



He raised questions about constitutional liberties in all provinces. “The PPP is a party of the poor and the downtrodden. We believe in public participation in a democratic setup.”

The PPP chairperson urged bar associations to play an active role for the protection of the rights of citizens and to provide relief to those who visited courts. The issue of misuse of blasphemy laws should also be brought to the parliament, he said.

LHCBA president Pir Masood Chishti spoke on the occasion and thanked Zardari and other PPP leaders for visiting the bar.

Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, PPP Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo, Senator Aitezaz Ahsan, Senator Jahangir Badar, former SCBA president Asma Jahangir, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Naveed Chaudhary and Sohail Malik also attended the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2016.