Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the National Assembly to enact a legislation to reduce the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), saying that the voices from within the judiciary were a “new ray of hope”.
Addressing the National Assembly, Shehbaz called for balancing the scales of justice, saying that the leadership of the incumbent ruling party was shown no leniency when it faced “fake cases”, but at present, former prime minister Imran Khan continued to enjoy “immunity from the rule of law”.
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The prime minister asked the parliamentarians to decide, categorically, if they wanted to continue with the prevailing “law of the jungle” in the country or legislate for upholding the rule of law.
“Today is a watershed moment, and it is important for parliament to legislate on the matters concerning the country,” he told the lawmakers.
“Today, the fight is between democracy and fascism… It is high time that we take a decision with collective wisdom,” he added.
“Today, this Constitution has become a joke and the country is suffering from a dire situation. We need a categorical decision whether we want to give relief to the nation or the ‘favoured one’, who did not abide by the law. We have to decide for the future of the nation and take guidance from law and the Constitution.”
Shehbaz addressed the National Assembly a day after two Supreme Court judges – Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail – issued a 27-page order, stating that the suo motu case regarding the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) elections date was dismissed by a majority of 4-3.
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The two judges aimed to “revisit the power of the one-man show enjoyed by the office of the chief justice of Pakistan” in order to “strengthen” the institution and “ensure public trust and confidence” in the apex court.
In his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz described the “the 4-3 decision” a ray of hope. He said that the senior leadership of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) faced imprisonment and no leniency was extended to them in the fake cases registered against them.
On the other hand, he added, PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan continued to enjoy immunity from the rule of law despite his persistent blackmailing and abuse of the judiciary.
He charged that Imran had the habit of not appearing before courts and he frequently mocked the judiciary, but was still getting bail extensions. “Every court is granting him extension. He [Imran Khan] has given a long innings. Is this the scale of justice,” he asked.
He also criticised former prime minister Imran for pushing the country to the brink of economic default by violating the promises made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which led to a serious economic crisis.
Imran, the prime minister continued, misguided the public through his so-called “regime-change” narrative, but later took a U-turn on his own stance.
“The hypocrisy is at its height as Imran Khan has now hired a US lobbying firm and is holding meetings with diplomats.”
The prime minister accused Imran of creating a big divide in the country, lamenting that no one was questioning him.
“A liar and non-serious person incurred a big loss to the country. The biggest fraud in the country’s history deceived the public in the name of the State of Madina.”
However, he assured that the government would not allow Imran to cause any further damage to the country. “Law will take its course and this non-serious person will not be allowed to incur further damage to the country,” the prime minister told the house.
He regretted that Imran was openly criticising the brave armed forces, and making the enemies of the country happy. During Imran’s tenure, he said, terrorists returned to their safe havens. He urged parliament to take firm action against all the wrongdoings of Imran.
“As a Pakistani, a parliamentarian and as the head of the government, I request the house to take urgent notice of the situation that Imran Niazi has created,” he said. “Imran is trying to bury the Constitution. Parliament needs to take solid action, otherwise history will not forgive us.”
Shehbaz said talks with Imran were not possible until he apologised to the nation for the ills he created. “If he genuinely wants to sit down for negotiations, he should first seek forgiveness from the nation for his wrongdoings,” he said.
Regarding the audio leaks of a purported conversation of a Supreme Court judge, the prime minister requested the superior court for a forensic of the audio. “Politicians are put in jails in no time, but how many judges have been ousted on corruption,” he asked.
“The parliamentarians need to decide if they will act as a herd of cattle or have the audacity to decide about their future themselves,” he said, adding that the country faced a difficult situation even after 75 years of its establishment. “Only the rule of law can help address this crisis.” (WITH INPUT FROM APP)
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