Mustafa Kamal terms criticism of judiciary 'baseless'

PSP chairperson chides federal govt for bad governance

KARACHI: When Parliament fails to hold its leader or member accountable, the Supreme Court (SC) has to fill the gap.

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairperson Mustafa Kamal said this while terming the criticism of the apex court's interpretation of Article 62(1) of the Constitution 'baseless'.

According to Kamal, when institutions of the federal government did not perform, the SC became the only institution to which people looked for the resolution of issues of public importance and protection of fundamental rights.

The parliamentarians had failed to fulfil their responsibilities, the PSP chairperson said. Admitting that Parliament had the authority to amend the Constitution, he, however, maintained that until amendments were made in the Constitution, courts had to base their rulings on its existing articles and sections. Kamal asserted that interpretation of the law was also a prerogative of the judiciary.

He said that those who were hurling baseless criticism at the judiciary for deciding a case according to the law would have done better to have used the floor of Parliament to amend articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.



The PSP chairperson also admonished the government for its failure to provide clean drinking water to the citizens. The condition of water supply and sewerage system is very unsatisfactory, he said, adding that other areas of governance, including health, education, and law and order, were no better. Severe violations of human rights are reported in the media every day, he said.

Members of the middle class are deprived of education, health and other basic facilities, Kamal said. He also decried a high rate of unemployment in the country, claiming that the economy was going towards doom.

He lamented that major political parties were pursuing their vested interests at a time when the country was facing serious challenges in the region. He called for focusing on solutions to public problems, improvement in economy, provision of employment opportunities, protection of lives and properties and engaging the international community with dialogue.

All ministers of the federal cabinet had been attending court hearings where their leaders were being tried and it seemed as if they had no interest in resolving public issues, Kamal lamented. He bemoaned that the prime minister, federal water and power minister and governor did not pay any attention to the feud between the Sui Southern Gas Company and K-Electric, despite the passing of so many days since it began. Due to the federal government's apathy, the citizens of Karachi had to suffer prolonged hours of load-shedding in the sweltering weather, Kamal said, adding that there was no authority to address the grievances of the city's residents.