NA demands formation of body to grill CJ

Speaker assures MNAs parliamentary records will not be handed over to SC without their consent

ISLAMABAD:

Federal ministers and lawmakers in the National Assembly on Wednesday demanded of the speaker to set up Committee of the Whole which would summon the chief justice of Pakistan and ask him about the alleged violation of the Constitution.

The MNAs continued to assail the higher judiciary as both the government and opposition advised the speaker to show resistance to the court.

NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf assured the lawmakers that records of the house would be provided to the Supreme Court only after their approval.

However, the members belonging to the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) stayed away from any anti-judiciary moves.

Speaking on a point of order, Federal Minister Mian Javed Latif said parliament had always been forced to compromise by threats of guns and hammers (gavels).

He noted that this was not for the first time that two constitutional institutions were facing each other.

“This time, parliament is facing an institution with a hammer instead of a gun,” he added.

He maintained that when the two major political parties of the country signed the Charter of Democracy, a powerful section believed that this alliance was against it.

He claimed that the section used all the powers and resources of the State to launch a person.

He added that the third institution was standing completely open today which had adopted that person.

The minister pointed out that parliament was called the supreme institution.

However, he added that it was happening for the first time that today parliament was standing for the protection of the Constitution and law.

Latif said if former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, ex-ISI head Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and former Islamabad High Court judge Justice Shaukat Siddiqui were called before the all-member special committee of lawmakers, 70% of the constitutional matters would be resolved.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also demanded the formation of an special committee comprising all members of the House to look into the violations of the Constitution.

He maintained that whenever the Constitution was violated, the move was endorsed by the judges.

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“From Justice Muhammad Munir, what is happening with the Constitution and what violations are being done in recent times [must be investigated],” he continued.

Asif said they were not against the court but opposed it when it exceeded beyond its jurisdiction.

He added that there were fixed boundaries.

“They [judges] should not interfere in our boundaries. We will not interfere in their boundaries,” he continued.

The minister maintained that whenever their boundaries have been encroached upon, the courts had justified it beyond the Constitution.

Asif said the primary responsibility of the courts was to deal with cases, and not to get involved in constitutional issues.

The minister maintained so far justice has not been provided in 51,000 cases.

He further pointed out that 400,000 cases were pending in high courts.

Asif said this was the sorry state of the country’s judiciary and it was not only a matter of shame but one to mourn as well.

Referring to the SC judges, he said those who spoke like they were the Almighty should deal with their pending cases first.

PML-N stalwart and former premier  Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the SC had asked for the records of parliament in 1997. He added that the then Speaker Elahi Bakhsh Soomro had given the records to the SC without hesitation.

However, he noted that the SC calling for parliament records now was a serious issue.

He asked the speaker to take the opinion of the House on the matter before handing over the records of  parliament to the court.

He was of the view that the House should decide to give the records to the SC or not.

Abbasi suggested that the speaker should form a special committee of the House on the records of parliament.

He added that the CJP should be called by this committee and asked why the court was seeking the records of parliament.

The speaker told him that a special committee was formed a day earlier, and if the House approved, the matter of handing over the records of parliament to the top court would be forwarded to that body as well.

Opposition leader Raja Riaz opposed the government providing the record of parliament proceedings to the SC .

He added that no institution would be allowed to prevail over parliament and the government should not under any circumstances cave in to any of them.

Riaz said the opposition was standing with the government to defend parliament.

Speaking on a point of order, MNA Noor Alam Khan, who is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of parliament, said he was not against judges.

He added that it was necessary to use the powers given by the Constitution and the rules and regulations. Former CJP Saqib Nisar and SC registrar have been summoned by the PAC, he continued. He pointed out that the committee had even sought the details of the salaries of the president, prime minister, NA speaker, Senate chairman and judges.

Ghous Bakhsh Mehr, a GDA MNA , declared his indifference to the government’s stance and actions against the judiciary.

He said while speaking against the courts,  it was said that the opposition was with the government.

He added that the opposition was not  against any court or institution.

“We should not be included while speaking against the court,” he continued.