'Elders should behave like elders': Saad Rafique hits out in apparent rebuke to CJ Nisar

Minister says his party does not believe in the politics of confrontation

Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that Pakistan has scores of judges, each one as capable as the next, in its legal system.

"However, our elders in the country should behave like elders," the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader said.

Talking to the media in Lahore after meeting former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, the minister said that his party views the judiciary with the highest possible respect, and Pakistan has many capable judges in its midst.



"The judges are the wisest amongst us, and the society that does not respect its elders cannot move forward. But elders should also behave like elders," Saad Rafique remarked in reference to the recent statements by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar.

Rafique said that the PML-N did not believe in politics of confrontation, and the media should stop spreading negative propaganda against his party.

"We reserve the right to express our personal views about certain judgments of the court. The ruling against Nawaz Sharif has shaken the foundations of democracy to its core."



The federal minister sought to remind the reporters present that his party workers had struggled for the freedom of the judiciary, even risking their lives in some cases.

"If we (PML-N) had not travelled from Gujranwala to Gujrat at the time, our government in Punjab would probably have been restored. But everyone is witness to the fact that we have never stepped out of the bounds of the mandate given to us by the people."