The National Assembly on Tuesday echoed with tributes to PPP founder and former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the occasion of his anniversary of his “judicial murder” as well as the lawmakers condemning the bench of the Supreme Court judges that earlier in the day “killed” the Constitution by fixing May 14 as the date for the elections in Punjab after rejecting the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to hold them in October.
They termed April 4 as the “darkest day” in the history of the country’s judiciary on which both the PPP founder and the Constitution were “murdered”.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, while taking the floor of the House, maintained that another judicial murder had been committed on April 4 -- first that of Bhutto and now the Constitution.
She demanded that action should be taken against the judicial murder of Bhutto through a presidential reference.
Sherry continued that they did not wish a clash with another institution but the court should have realised that it was the date when Bhutto had embraced martyrdom.
She alleged that the SC judges, who announced the verdict earlier in the day, were looking after the interests of their “favourite”, an indirect reference to PTI chief Imran Khan.
The PPP lawmaker claimed that the decision of the minority had been imposed on the majority and there was a price to pay for such verdicts.
Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, who belongs the PML-N, pointing out that Bhutto had been subjected to judicial murder, claimed that later two premiers, Yousuf Raza Gilani of the PPP and Nawaz Sharif, his party's supremo, were “unjustly” punished by the courts.
He noted that his party had stepped out for the restoration of the judiciary during former military dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s time.
“Nawaz Sharif stepped out even though he was receiving threatening phone calls. It was only because we believed what Musharraf was doing was wrong,” he added.
“Now that the courts are delivering verdicts based on the doctrine of necessity, our heads hang in shame,” the PML-N leader continued.
Rafique pointed out that senior politician Javed Hashmi had predicted that generals and judges would eventually be on one side.
“Today, we see his prediction coming true,” he added.
He reiterated his demand for the formation of a full court to hear the matter.
He maintained that if elections were held earlier in Punjab than the rest of the country, it would affect the polls in the rest of the provinces.
“They [PTI] are insisting that the polls in Punjab be held on the basis of the previous census. What guarantees are there that the results of these elections would be acceptable to all?” he raised the question.
Opposition leader in the NA Raja Riaz, while echoing the sentiments of the treasury members, declared the verdict of the SC as a”dark” one.
He added that SC judges had appeased their “favourite”, who had destroyed the country for four years, instead of listening to the people of Pakistan.
He maintained that the SC judgment was based on ego instead of a full court that was being demanded.
Riaz added that Bhutto was “murdered” on April 4 and now the Constitution he had delivered was subjected to the same fate.
The SC bench has delivered a judgment that is neither acceptable to other top court judges, nor the people or political parties.
PPP MNAs Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, Ramesh Kumar, Syed Agha Rafiullah as well as others lawmakers of the party paid rich tributes to Bhutto in the House, describing him as the voice for the common man and demanding justice for his “judicial killing”.
PML-N's Sheikh Rohale Asghar and JUI-F’s Shahida Akhtar were also the MNAs, who acknowledged Bhutto’s mission to unite the Muslims around the world.
JUI-F’s Maulana Asad Mahmood, son of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), while addressing the three SC judges, who handed down the verdict, said they had held the “funeral of justice and the Constitution” and they would never achieve peace.
He pledged to not allow the implementation of the judgment and fight till the very end.
The son of the JUI-F chief also vowed to stand by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Constitution, and parliament.
PTI MNA Ahmed Hussain Deharr conceded that Bhutto was subjected to injustice as well as stressed upon the need for the ruling coalition and his party to sign a charter of economy that would last for 10 years.
He added that elections could not be held in the prevailing situation.
However, PTI MNA Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari disagreed with the other members, insisting that the SC verdict was in line with the Constitution.
He maintained that the SC judgment had “buried” the doctrine of necessity.
Leghari also regretted the attitude of the other lawmakers in the lower house of parliament.
He added that the lawmakers had turned the NA into a “fish market” through their “double-meaning” statements.
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