Nisar denies rift between govt, judiciary
Interior minister says some people with vested political interests want chaos
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar. PHOTO: Express/File
ISLAMABAD:
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday dispelled the impression of a ‘confrontation’ going on between the government and the judiciary -- days after former PML-N senator Nehal Hashmi hurled threats at members of the joint investigation team (JIT) and the judiciary probing the Panama Papers Leaks case.
Incensed by the anti-judiciary rant of the PML-N leader, a Supreme Court judge had likened the government to the Sicilian Mafia that prompted an angry response from the government accusing the judge of violating his oath of office and bringing a bad name to the country.
“Certain elements with vested political interests want to give the impression that confrontation and chaos exist among state institutions,” the interior minister said in a statement.
“The government reaction expressing sadness and regret over the statement of an honourable judge does not mean that it is confrontation or collision between the government and the judiciary,” he added.
The Supreme Court then opened a case against Hashmi and issued him a show-cause notice for ‘maligning the judiciary’, summoning him again on June 5.
Nisar said: “Equating difference of opinion to collision and using every issue for political mileage actually reflect a mindset that wants to see collision and chaos rather than stability [in the country].”
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He continued: “Unfortunately, some people seem to have taken a contract for fanning misunderstanding between the government and institutions, and have made it a habit of creating hype on every issue through their statement and political point-scoring for their political gains.”
In a reference to the PPP, Nisar said that those self-proclaimed guardians of the judiciary and judges today “have conveniently forgotten the way how institutions were subjected to ridicule and humiliated during their tenure” and “how people holding highest offices used to ridicule judiciary and openly negated their judgments”.
The minister said the same people used to throw black paints on the judges in order to stop them from giving judgments against them, termed the verdicts ‘chamak’ (shine), created a difference of Punjabi and non-Punjabi in the judiciary, promoted PCO judges and gave them the highest judicial positions.
“On the other hand, such people are also included in this group who only accepted verdicts that they considered as favourable or which suited them,” said the interior minister.
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He added that in not too distant past, a bench headed by a former chief justice gave a verdict which was not accepted, and ridiculed as well.
“Today, the same people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill and overreacting to an issue on which the government showed immediate reaction and took disciplinary action against its own activist,” he said.
Nisar expressed surprise over the ‘shouting’ from “the leaders of a party whose official spokesman, a few days ago, accused the judiciary and the armed forces of rigging in the 2013 elections”.
The minister said no action was taken against the spokesman who continued to speak for that party. He wondered what to call this double standard.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday dispelled the impression of a ‘confrontation’ going on between the government and the judiciary -- days after former PML-N senator Nehal Hashmi hurled threats at members of the joint investigation team (JIT) and the judiciary probing the Panama Papers Leaks case.
Incensed by the anti-judiciary rant of the PML-N leader, a Supreme Court judge had likened the government to the Sicilian Mafia that prompted an angry response from the government accusing the judge of violating his oath of office and bringing a bad name to the country.
“Certain elements with vested political interests want to give the impression that confrontation and chaos exist among state institutions,” the interior minister said in a statement.
“The government reaction expressing sadness and regret over the statement of an honourable judge does not mean that it is confrontation or collision between the government and the judiciary,” he added.
The Supreme Court then opened a case against Hashmi and issued him a show-cause notice for ‘maligning the judiciary’, summoning him again on June 5.
Nisar said: “Equating difference of opinion to collision and using every issue for political mileage actually reflect a mindset that wants to see collision and chaos rather than stability [in the country].”
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He continued: “Unfortunately, some people seem to have taken a contract for fanning misunderstanding between the government and institutions, and have made it a habit of creating hype on every issue through their statement and political point-scoring for their political gains.”
In a reference to the PPP, Nisar said that those self-proclaimed guardians of the judiciary and judges today “have conveniently forgotten the way how institutions were subjected to ridicule and humiliated during their tenure” and “how people holding highest offices used to ridicule judiciary and openly negated their judgments”.
The minister said the same people used to throw black paints on the judges in order to stop them from giving judgments against them, termed the verdicts ‘chamak’ (shine), created a difference of Punjabi and non-Punjabi in the judiciary, promoted PCO judges and gave them the highest judicial positions.
“On the other hand, such people are also included in this group who only accepted verdicts that they considered as favourable or which suited them,” said the interior minister.
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He added that in not too distant past, a bench headed by a former chief justice gave a verdict which was not accepted, and ridiculed as well.
“Today, the same people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill and overreacting to an issue on which the government showed immediate reaction and took disciplinary action against its own activist,” he said.
Nisar expressed surprise over the ‘shouting’ from “the leaders of a party whose official spokesman, a few days ago, accused the judiciary and the armed forces of rigging in the 2013 elections”.
The minister said no action was taken against the spokesman who continued to speak for that party. He wondered what to call this double standard.