NA panel defies SC demand for record

A special parliamentary committee has decided not to share the record of the National Assembly and one of its committees with the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The committee has also summoned four people including former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar and his son Najam Saqib in connection with its probe into a couple of leaked audio clips.

When the special committee met on Wednesday, the members agreed to hold the proceedings in-camera in view of the sensitivity of matters under consideration.

After the meeting the committee chairman, Aslam Bhotani, told the media that the panel has decided not to share the parliamentary record with regard to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act , 2023 with the apex court.

“We had sought the legal advice of the Federal Ministry of Law in this matter and have made this decision in the light of the ministry’s advice,” he said.

An eight-judge bench of the apex court on May 2 sought record of the parliament’s proceedings with regard to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, a law that seeks to reduce powers of the CJP.

Taking up some petitions filed against the bill, the SC on April 13 stopped the enforcement of the bill in what was described by some as a preemptive move.

However, despite the SC’s order, the bill became a law on April 22 as the National Assembly Secretariat formally asked the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP) to publish it in the official gazette.

Bhotani said the committee has also summoned to its next meeting former CJP Mian Saqib Nisar, his son Najam Saqib and two politicians--Mian Aziz and Abuzar Chadar--in connection with its probe into the leaked audios.

A couple of audio clips allegedly featuring the voice of Najam Saqib appeared on April 29. In one of the clips, Najam could be heard telling Chadar that his father, former CJP Nisar, had “worked really hard” to get Chadar a ticket of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

In the second audio, Najam allegedly tells MIan Aziz how much money he expects in return for the party ticket. The National Assembly took notice of the audio clips on May 2 and later formed a special committee to investigate the matter.