PPP to foil attempts to derail democracy: Nisar Khuhro
He claimed that the apex court had favoured the army and martial laws.
KARACHI:
The speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, claimed that the apex court has always supported army generals and derailed democracy but if it tries to do so again, it will face stiff resistance at the hands of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
“The court favoured the four martial laws in the name of doctrine of necessity,” said Khuhro at a press conference organised on Sunday. “The judiciary and the generals have destroyed democratic institutions. The judiciary protected General Ziaul Haq, who killed political workers, for 11 years.” He added that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death in a bogus case and Benazir Bhutto was openly assassinated.
Referring to the apex court’s ruling in the contempt of court case against former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, he said that such decisions are not against the PPP but democracy. “The judiciary can try to weaken the democratic system but the PPP will stand strong to save the country,” he said. Replying to a question on the clash between the government and judiciary, the PPP leader said, “If the decision to derail the system has already been made, then where will the middle ground emerge from?”
Khuhro said that his government was abiding by the law and respected the court’s verdicts. But he pointed out that judges are exempted from Article 6, which lays out the conditions under which one can be charged with high treason. “The Constitution has always been cast aside but this time, the people of Pakistan will defend it,” he said. “We are ready to make more sacrifices. We hope for justice because I don’t think the Supreme Court is the military summary court.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.
The speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, claimed that the apex court has always supported army generals and derailed democracy but if it tries to do so again, it will face stiff resistance at the hands of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
“The court favoured the four martial laws in the name of doctrine of necessity,” said Khuhro at a press conference organised on Sunday. “The judiciary and the generals have destroyed democratic institutions. The judiciary protected General Ziaul Haq, who killed political workers, for 11 years.” He added that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death in a bogus case and Benazir Bhutto was openly assassinated.
Referring to the apex court’s ruling in the contempt of court case against former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, he said that such decisions are not against the PPP but democracy. “The judiciary can try to weaken the democratic system but the PPP will stand strong to save the country,” he said. Replying to a question on the clash between the government and judiciary, the PPP leader said, “If the decision to derail the system has already been made, then where will the middle ground emerge from?”
Khuhro said that his government was abiding by the law and respected the court’s verdicts. But he pointed out that judges are exempted from Article 6, which lays out the conditions under which one can be charged with high treason. “The Constitution has always been cast aside but this time, the people of Pakistan will defend it,” he said. “We are ready to make more sacrifices. We hope for justice because I don’t think the Supreme Court is the military summary court.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2012.