ISLAMABAD: Property tycoon Malik Riaz is purportedly friends with all power players but appears to be losing out the public popularity contest when pitted against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
The issue has, in fact, even brought bitter political rivals Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan on the same page vis-à-vis their support for the chief justice.
The political foes on Wednesday appeared to one-up each other in their efforts to defend the top judge against what they said is an “ugly conspiracy being hatched by mafias involved in land grabbing.”
Meanwhile, there was an outpouring of solidarity with chief justice, with lawyers and bar associations across the country on Wednesday expressing support to the top judge and superior judiciary in the face of allegations levelled by property magnate Riaz a day earlier.
Riaz had hurled serious yet contradictory allegations at the chief justice at a press conference on Tuesday, implying that the latter was aware of his son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar’s alleged corruption.
Nawaz and Imran
Chairing a party meeting in Islamabad, Nawaz categorically stated that his party would not let anybody harm the Supreme Court.
“The nation is aware of conspiracies against the Supreme Court and will never let them succeed at any cost,” Sharif said.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s media office issued two separate statements on the issue, minutes apart.
“All political parties, civil society and media stand united behind the court … they will go to any length to protect them against any challenge,” the second statement quoted Nawaz as saying.
Equally categorical in his reaction was Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.
“Forces of honesty and justice are on one side, and those of the status quo on the other,” Imran said while speaking to the media in Lahore.
“But the final victory will be of those fighting for the rule of law. We are with the Supreme Court,” Imran added. Criticising Riaz, Imran said: “The don of property mafia has converted the country into an auction house where everything is for sale.”
Legal support
The legal fraternity of Islamabad condemned Raiz’s press conference against the superior judiciary, and threatened to stage a sit-in at the Constitution Avenue.
Despite his pecuniary power, government support and political affiliations, Riaz has failed in his attempt to slander the spotless personality of the chief justice, said Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Nayab Gardezi.
He said the chief justice meeting the prime minister at any occasion was not legally or morally objectionable, but that Riaz had unnecessarily given it a dramatic spin.
General body of the Rawalpindi District Bar Association decided to converge at the Supreme Court on June 14, the date for hearing of the contempt case against Riaz, to express solidarity with the superior judiciary.
The district and high court bars of Rawalpindi have banned the entry of Riaz’s lawyer Zahid Bukhari for siding with the man who has levelled serious allegations against the apex court, said general secretary of the association, Imran Malik.
A father could not be punished in the name of his son, said President Lahore Bar Association Chaudhry Zolifqar Ali while addressing a press conference. Ali said that an All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention will be organized on June 23 to develop a mechanism to confront issues facing the judiciary and the legal fraternity.
Lawyers in Peshawar, however, took a more critical approach to the issue.
Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel said the Supreme Court had strangled itself after it took suo motu notice of the alleged corruption case.
“It was due to his father that Arsalan was paid,” Kakakhel said, adding that close relatives of judges always acted as “dons.” Athar Minallah, however, termed the case a mala fide attempt to intimidate the Supreme Court.
Lawyers in Multan also organised a convention in support of the superior judiciary, blaming the intelligence agencies for what they called was “a ploy against the chief justice.”
(With additional reporting by QAISER ZULFIQAR in ISLAMABAD, MUDASSIR RAJA in RAWALPINDI, Rana Yasif in Lahore, Umer Farooq in PESHAWAR and OWAIS JAFRI in Multan.)
Published in The Express Tribune, June 14th, 2012.
COMMENTS (16)
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A lethal combinaton of opportunism and populism!
Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif both are lacking sense they should come forward for the cause of bussiness and the cause of politics.
A few months earlier the sessions judge of a metropolis was called by the lawyers of the same city bar as property dealer. Let the nation decide once and for all what these sallaried class of Pakistan is putting the nation into anguish and pain these vultures have halved the nation into two in 1971 they are preying upon the poor and the politicians and business class are pushed to the wall the two classes need to be protected by the nation from the vulturising sallaried class of the government of Pakistan.
People should come out in the street to deffend those who do bussiness and arrange jobs and charity the corrupt practices are all done by the sallareid class of the government of Pakistan
If buildings made by Malik Riaz Sahib are far better than that of made by the salaried class of the government of Pakistan then he is really a hero. And the rest, a zero
Sorry IK, this time i will not support you. CJ knows all things as stated by Mr. Aitezaz but he showed affect ignorance.
It's high time Pakistanis realize that their Chief Justice is not an angel as they are led to believe. The judiciary is not free of faults, instead of crying over their piousness, the Judiciary should take steps to ensure that their impartiality in maintaining the rule of law is not forsaken for mere cash, or children for that matter.
Where does Chief justice of Pakistan stands pls read this eye opener http://mullahmilitarymilitantsandjudiciary.blogspot.com/2012/05/c-j-of-supreme-court-pakistanaltar-of.html
Salute to CJ for taking action even against his son!
No one forced CJ's son to take bribes. He should be made accountable for his deeds!
When PPP supporters used to say that the charges against BB and Nusrat Bhutto are bogus and they are not corrupt, these same rightwing elements would malign them. Now they are all staying with CJ and his high flying govt employ son when the shoe is on the other foot. Poor Arsalan was just making money while employed by the govt, so it is fine for govt servants to make money from rich people? What else is called corruption? The PCO CJ has twice endorsed high treason and broken his oath of office, if that is not called wrongdoings then what are?
CJ should not loose hope. This is the final resistance of evil forces that have looted this country and made such a mess. There will be light after the dark night and we are close, very very close.
There might be few honest judges in supreme court but their honesty has never helped common folks. Most of the judges and lawyers are as corrupt as politicians and land mafia.
Well said!
This whole fiasco makes no sense at all. Malik Riaz couldn't care less for a few million dollars. He apparently has no personal vendetta against the CJ or his kind either, and even if so makes no sense to throw it all away for what we are being made to believe. He has everything to loose and absolutely nothing to gain, except for perhaps his own or the life and safety of those he feels responsible for. He is just a surrogate for someone else's apparently malignant though not so smart designs. He has fallen into the hands of not so clever maniac/s with evil tendencies. His mannerism, his statements--most public now, are a cry for help. He is incoherent, with utter lack of objectivity, and under utmost duress. He has been literally pleading for an audience with those who are strong, impartial, and who may be able to help him, including perhaps the CJ and the judiciary. Listen to him closely, hear him out, and count the number of times he literally begs to be heard. Someone help him before it's too late.