CJP irked by winners facing stay orders

Calls into question performance of the ECP during the recent polls

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has expressed concern over issuance of stay orders by the high courts to halt notifications of various candidates who emerged victorious at different National Assembly and provincial assembly constituencies in the July 25 vote.

“We are reading in the newspaper every day that the high courts are halting notifications of successful candidates. The Supreme Court is very concerned about it,” the CJP said on Tuesday while hearing a plea seeking disqualification of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Murad Ali Shah.

The CJP is also to hear on Wednesday (today) the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s petition against the Lahore High Court (LHC) order to stay notification for his success at NA-131 Lahore  and  order a recount of votes.  Khan had defeated the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former railways minister Saad Rafique at that constituency.



Hearing another election related case, the CJP also called into question the performance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during the recent polls.

He said he himself tried to contact Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Raza Khan thrice on his mobile phone but the CEC did not pick up. “He (CEC) was probably sleeping,” the CJP quipped.

Foreign properties

A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by the CJP, asked former presidents General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Asif Ali Zardari and former attorney general Malik Qayyum to submit details of their foreign properties with an affidavit.

“Accountability should begin with the powerful people,” the top judge noted while hearing the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case.

Zardari’s legal counsel Farooq H Naek told the court that both former president and his son, the Pakistan Peoples Party chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had recently submitted their asset details to the ECP in their nomination papers for the recent polls.

The CJP ordered Naek to submit an affidavit containing details of Zardari’s assets. He said the PPP’s former chairman Benazir Bhutto was martyred and the court did not want to drag her name in any controversy.



Hearing a suo motu case regarding looted money stashed in foreign banks, the chief justice said those who did not avail the recent tax amnesty scheme probably have a skeleton on the cupboard.

“According to my estimation, Rs600 billion is stashed in foreign banks. The court is trying to bring that massive amount from abroad,” he noted. He also appreciated the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) attempt to identify Pakistanis properties abroad but said the FIA report will remain classified.

The State Bank Governor Tariq Bajwa requested the bench to give him some time to evolve a strategy to bring money back from abroad. Hearing of case is adjourned till September 3.