Contempt law: Sharjeel questions SC’s judgment

Minister claims decision aimed at creating anarchy.

KARACHI:

Parliament is the supreme authority to make laws and cannot be stopped from doing its prime job of legislation, said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference along with office bearers of the Peoples Lawyers Forum at the Sindh Secretariat, he questioned the recent verdict of the Supreme Court against the new contempt law.

Memon claimed that the decision was aimed at creating anarchy in the country, but the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would not let it happen. He blamed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief and some “likeminded people” for being behind the conspiracy to derail the elected government.

Criticising the Supreme Court, Memon said that more than 8,000 cases under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) have been disposed of, but one case relating to President Asif Ali Zardari is being taken up by the apex court.

“I want to ask the Supreme Court why it is not taking up the cases of those people who were charged with murder and kidnapping for ransom cases and are now beneficiaries of the NRO,” he asked. Memon said that had Benazir Bhutto not struck a deal with Pervez Musharraf under the NRO, democracy would not have been restored to the country. The PPP respected the judiciary and had accepted all its decisions in “protest” but now the party would not bow down because parliament was the supreme forum, and has also given immunity to the president from any trial against him, he said.

Memon presented a video clipping of Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, in which the former minister was shown saying, “Chaudhry Iftikhar would wait for hours to meet me at Lal Haveli in Rawalpindi. Later, I handed his case over to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat who referred him ahead”.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2012.