Panamagate: ‘Supreme Court has saved the country from political turmoil’

Says Panamagate investigating commission should not be assigned other cases, says Razvi

KARACHI: Newly-elected president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Rashid A Razvi said on Saturday that the scope of the proposed commission to be constituted by the Supreme Court should be limited to investigating the Panamagate scandal and should not be assigned other cases related to corruption, which would prolong the process of probe.

While speaking at a meet the press event at the Karachi Press Club, he said other corruption-related cases should be investigated by the concerned institutions like the National Accountability Bureau and the relevant courts.

“If investigation of other corruption cases is also assigned to the commission, its proceedings will not be completed even after 20 years,” he warned, citing the example of a previous judicial commission formed to probe the Memogate case.

The Memogate commission has not met for the last four years, as the inquiry has fallen prey to politics, he said. Regarding the SC’s order in the Panamagate case, Razvi said the apex court had saved the country from political turmoil.

Replying to a query, he said the SCBA and the Pakistan Bar Council will assist the apex court during the proceedings of the Panamagate case, if the court desires their help.

The chief of the lawyers’ top representative body said the time had come to launch a massive countrywide campaign for the eradication of corruption.

Corruption is eating up the resources like termites, therefore, there is a need to wage struggle against corruption like the one launched by the lawyers, civil society and media in 2007 for the independence of the judiciary, he said.

Regarding public support, Razvi expressed his hope that the masses will join in the anti-corruption movement, as this menace may turn the country into a failed state if not controlled.

“We will have to rise for our survival,” he added.

He lamented that the issues facing the masses were not being addressed and said a water crisis was about to hit the country. But, the rulers’ are paying no attention to the minor issues such as water scarcity, instead their attention is directed to the mega-projects because of heavy kickbacks, he alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2016.