Punjab vs federation: PML-N vows to support judiciary in case it seeks military’s help
Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif and Babar Awan take digs at each other.
LAHORE:
The federal government is stalling on implementing the Supreme Court’s orders to cover up corrupt practices of its coalition partners, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said.
“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will hold a party convention on July 27 after which we will hold a high-level party meeting to draw strategies to force the government to obey court rulings,” Shahbaz said at a press conference held on Tuesday at his Model Town residence in Lahore.
Announcing war against the federal government, he said that he was willing to sacrifice his own government to ensure that the judiciary’s verdicts in the corruption scandals, such as the Hajj scam and the National Insurance Company Ltd land scam, are honoured. “The PML-N will support the judiciary if it asks for the military’s help to implement its verdicts,” he said.
Shahbaz said that President Zardari is the biggest hurdle in the way of an independent judiciary. “Zardari wants Dogar courts from where he can get a ruling of his own liking,” he said.
Asked why the court is not initiating contempt proceedings, he said that it was the court’s prerogative and he cannot comment on it. However, he said that the PML-N will not be a silent spectator as the court is humiliated and will take direct action against the federal government. “Defying court rulings will be like spoiling the country’s basics. If needed, we will again launch a long march against the federal government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former law minister Babar Awan has criticised Shahbaz’s speech saying he is ‘politicising’ judicial matters.
“The PML-N is trying to play the judicial card and will fail like [it did] in the past,” Awan told the media at the Governor House. “He has indirectly given a message to the federation that Punjab will defy it.”
He said that the chief justice of Pakistan should take suo motu notice of Shahbaz’s statement in which he has tried to provoke the people against the federal government.
Awan said that before announcing war, Shahbaz should review whether Punjab is itself complying with court orders or not. “The court has also given a verdict against current Lahore police chief for negligence in the Gojra incident but he continues to serve,” he said.
He said that Shahbaz has used unparliamentary language against President Zardari just to provoke the PPP. “There is no constitutional war between the executive and the judiciary in any province and I cannot understand who Shahbaz is challenging in his declaration of war,” Awan said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.
The federal government is stalling on implementing the Supreme Court’s orders to cover up corrupt practices of its coalition partners, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said.
“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will hold a party convention on July 27 after which we will hold a high-level party meeting to draw strategies to force the government to obey court rulings,” Shahbaz said at a press conference held on Tuesday at his Model Town residence in Lahore.
Announcing war against the federal government, he said that he was willing to sacrifice his own government to ensure that the judiciary’s verdicts in the corruption scandals, such as the Hajj scam and the National Insurance Company Ltd land scam, are honoured. “The PML-N will support the judiciary if it asks for the military’s help to implement its verdicts,” he said.
Shahbaz said that President Zardari is the biggest hurdle in the way of an independent judiciary. “Zardari wants Dogar courts from where he can get a ruling of his own liking,” he said.
Asked why the court is not initiating contempt proceedings, he said that it was the court’s prerogative and he cannot comment on it. However, he said that the PML-N will not be a silent spectator as the court is humiliated and will take direct action against the federal government. “Defying court rulings will be like spoiling the country’s basics. If needed, we will again launch a long march against the federal government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former law minister Babar Awan has criticised Shahbaz’s speech saying he is ‘politicising’ judicial matters.
“The PML-N is trying to play the judicial card and will fail like [it did] in the past,” Awan told the media at the Governor House. “He has indirectly given a message to the federation that Punjab will defy it.”
He said that the chief justice of Pakistan should take suo motu notice of Shahbaz’s statement in which he has tried to provoke the people against the federal government.
Awan said that before announcing war, Shahbaz should review whether Punjab is itself complying with court orders or not. “The court has also given a verdict against current Lahore police chief for negligence in the Gojra incident but he continues to serve,” he said.
He said that Shahbaz has used unparliamentary language against President Zardari just to provoke the PPP. “There is no constitutional war between the executive and the judiciary in any province and I cannot understand who Shahbaz is challenging in his declaration of war,” Awan said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.