PTI leader critical of Establishment’s role in politics

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry criticised on Thursday the Establishment’s role in politics, saying that it would not be possible for the people to change overnight because a few generals and judges sit in closed rooms and take decisions.

Speaking at a news briefing, the former information minister emphasised that the political decisions about the country should be taken in the political arena. He stressed that the people’s right to take their own decisions must be restored.

The Establishment has big urge to take political decisions. The way policies are being made in Pakistan is a joke, Chaudhry said. “It is not possible some of our generals and judges sit in closed rooms and decide that this will be our policy from today and we change the next day.”

He said that the judges and generals had chosen their career paths, therefore, their decisions should be befitting to their status. “It is not for a judge or the one who has taken commission in the army to do politics,” he added.

Chaudhry’s press briefing came a day after the apex court issued detailed judgment in suo moto notice case on the ruling by the then deputy speaker of the National Assembly under Article 5 of the Constitution on the matter of the no-confidence motion against then prime minister.

A larger bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail had announced a short order on April 7, 2022 on the ruling passed on April 3, 2022.

The ruling said that the former deputy speaker in his ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against then prime minister Imran Khan failed to substantiate that regime was changed on account of a foreign country's interference.

It further said neither the deputy speaker's ruling nor his detailed reasons claim that the cypher showed any member of the opposition parties to have interacted with a foreign state to bring the resolution of no-confidence in order to oust the prime minister and his government.

Chaudhry said that the facts were not taken into account in the Supreme Court decision. He added that the cipher was repeatedly emphasised but the judges had said that it [the cipher] should not be talked about in detail.

Article 6

In the judgment, Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel wrote an additional note, saying that the sacred trust of the exercise of authority was violated by President Arif Alvi, former prime minister Imran and other PTI leaders.

The judge urged parliament to initiate action under Article 6 of the Constitution [high treason] against President Alvi, former prime minister Imran, former speaker Asad Qaisar, deputy speaker Qasim Suri and then law minister Fawad Chaudhry.

However, at the presser, Chaudhry opposed any such move. “If Article 6 begins to apply … the way out options would be curtailed,” he said. “It must be decided how to take decisions: vote or like Sri Lanka,” he added, referring to the civil unrest in the island nation.