Sana accuses SC judges of 'bias' against PML-N

Minister says PML-N’s legal team will ask two justices to recuse from hearing cases related to party leadership

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday alleged that two judges of the Supreme Court (SC) -- Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi -- were biased against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

In a statement, the PML-N senior leader said that Justice Ahsan was the supervising judge in the case against party supremo Nawaz Sharif and "justice was not expected from him".

He also questioned the impartiality of Justice Naqvi, claiming that "irrefutable evidence of the Justice Muzahir Ali Akbar Naqvi's impartiality has come forth through leaked audio".

"Both the judges have given verdicts in dozens of cases against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. The Panama, party leadership, Pakpattan allotment and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases are included in the list," the minister added.

Justice Naqvi is heading the bench in the case of misconduct in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against an apex court judge after audio leaks emerged purportedly featuring a conversation about the fixation of the case before a particular bench or judge with former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi.

Sanaullah furthered that both the judges have given adverse judgments in several cases related to Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, including the Panama case, party leadership case, Pakpattan allotment case and the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Read Lawyers bodies to move SJC against SC judge

"It has become a tradition in law and judiciary that controversial judges voluntarily recuse themselves from hearing the relevant case," he said.

The home minister added that there is also a tradition of removing controversial judges from a bench at the request of the aggrieved party.

Sanaullah maintained that the PML-N legal team will ask the two judges to withdraw from the benches hearing the cases of Nawaz and other party leaders.

According to a local news outlet, the move could pave the way for the former premier and party supremo’s return to the country since he is looking for relief in the Al-Azizia corruption case.

The party has been repeatedly highlighting the need for Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, with statements coming in from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

Moreover, the party is also coming head-to-head with the judiciary ever since the latest audio leak.