LAHORE: Asma Jahangir, the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), on Monday criticised the role of the Supreme Court and its decision to form a one member commission to further investigate the Dr Arsalan Iftikhar case, suggesting the Court instead turn to foreign investigation agencies if it did not trust state institutions.
Talking to reporters at the Lahore High Court premises, Jahangir alleged that the Supreme Court was not meeting the requirements enshrined for delivering justice in the case against Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, son of Chief Justice of Pakistan.
She also rejected the appointment of Dr Shoaib Suddle, the officer tasked by the SC to investigate the case after barring the NAB from investigating into the matter. Jahangir alleged the apex court wanted to facilitate the investigations by appointing Suddle since he enjoyed close ties with Dr Iftikhar. Suddle could therefore, not be trusted to conduct a transparent investigation.
“The Supreme Court should ask the Scotland Yard to conduct the investigation of Dr Arsalan Iftikhar case if it has no confidence in the national institutions”, she said.
She added that Suddle was also known to be a regular attendant of Dr Iftikhar’s events. Therefore, he could not be expected to conduct a transparent investigation into the case.
While maintaining that the law of benefit of doubt should be given to Dr Iftikhar, it should be treated equally for everyone.
Criticising the court’s decision, she said if there were any questions over the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) investigating team, then the team could have been changed instead of changing the investigating authority.
August 30, the Supreme Court had accepted a review petition against its own earlier order, appointing Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Mohammad Shoaib Suddle as the one man-commission to probe the controversial case regarding a business deal worth Rs342 million between Dr Arsalan Iftikhar and business tycoon Malik Riaz.
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agreed
I have never heard this lady criticizing this government for so many blunders...
@salman: Is it not possible that Suddle may have been appointed with the consent of Zardari to act as a link between NRO and Arsalan cases?
It will require lots of wisdom to understand what actually Asma Jahangir is trying tell our great CJP :)
When ever i send comments about cj and company or Arsalans uncle judges u alwaws ignore my comments sir why are u bais?
@POGO: Shoaib Suddle was present on Arsalan's wedding as well as various other Chaudhary family events. He is very close to Arsalan.
"suggesting the Court instead turn to foreign investigation agencies if it did not trust state institutions."
She was being sarcastic there i.e. if NAB and FIA cannot be relied then what option is left except going to Scotland YArd.. Asma said that she did not expect transparent investigation by Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Shoaib Suddle, who was appointed as one-man commission by the apex court to investigate Arsalan’s case. She alleged that the court wanted to facilitate the investigations from its favourite because Suddle had close ties with Arsalan.
HEre is what she says. Please year from 4:50 to 9:00 minutes to hear what Asma has to say. http://tv.saintclassified.pk/8pm-3rd-september-2012-arsalan-iftikhar-case-asma-jahangir-fawad-chaudhry-rana-sanaullah-vid-8187
The headline is WRONG ET! As reading the article tells you she said it as sarcasm! Please correct it!
ET please, AJ is very graceful person. I have seen her on TV she appears fine. How she is face to face I don't know. Please print her picture which is very nice. God bless her for her courage to stand by truth.
@ Raheem Bukhsh - let me explain how blackmailing works. Arsalans company submits a proposal to a subsidiary of Bahia town for supplying cement. The supreme court takes up multiple bahria town cases. Arsalan assures that there will be no conviction and is awarded the project. Same tactics were used by the pcoed cj with Musharraf's government. If you don't believe me, read the reference and affidavits.
CJ is deeply involved in these allegations of corruptions of his son.. Appointment of one man, who is a close friend of the accused, is a big joke on the nation. CJ has no moral or legal authority to stay in office, he should resign immediately. This has nothing to do with PPP Govt or Asma Jehangir. Its about the extortion , bribery and abuse of judicial authority on the part of Ch Iftikhar and his son. HIs son should be charged and tried in a criminal court, like any other citizen. Completely shameful for the CJ to obstruct justice and punishment in the case of his son.
@ logic europe
I do agree
oh people let me remind you , this shoaib suddle was the then police in-charge when Mir Murtaza Buthho was murdered by police , and this very man was bone of contention b/w MQM and PPP in sindh, as he is supposed to be a close friend to Zardari since long. so, now you people are thinking him a friend of CJ ??
let him do his job please and get a life and spare SC of pakistan.
P.S. Shoaib suddle is the only PHD in criminology in pakistan.
In islam there is great emphasis on looking after your relativs. Mr chadhry is flowing islamc teachings by helping his family
@Another Pakistani: lol…she was sarcastic when she talks about scotland yard…… grow your brain people.. actually SC has opened a pandora box .. anyone can now move to SC and ask for scrapping the NAB’s investigation and appoint a new team….
@Raheem Bukhsh: i think you don't understand English or you didn't read the article well. She was saying it in sarcarsm. alucard has put it nicely.
Nice sarcasm Asma Jaganghir. Seriously people here need to lighten up and understand that Asma is perfectly right in this instance: we have NAB and FIA etc yet we are still relying on judicial commissions. If the SC thinks it is the only righteous institution then this is the height of delusion…..
We ask the ppp what is your efcinsy fos de last five years except bribri,curption,inequility-nd...... ?i would give de namf of prblom govt.
Asma has an excellent reputation not only in Pakistan but internationally. What she says is very understandable. It is well known that Suddle has personal relations so outcome can be imagined.
Asma Jahangir' is one of most credible names in Pakistan. She has always stood for democracy, human and civil rights, and rule of law even under the worst dictators of Pakistan. She is one of the few sane voices we have been hearing for decades now as opposed to opportunists and conformists of different sorts.
It is so unfortunate to see that so many people never understood her sarcasm at all and misinterpreted her. In no minced words she has said that there must be no double standards w/r/t to Arsalan Iftikhar and the SC must abide by the law in this case also. What she is saying is what everybody knows that some of the SC judges are trying to save CJ and his son, and are undermining the sanctity of the very institution they ought to safeguard.
This lady is so biased and anti cj. Trusting the state institutions as if she doesn't know the character if irfan qadir and the nab chief who is sitting there collecting plots. The country is in chais b/o people like her always supporying monsters.
Best solution is the resignation by mr CJ. Why is he thinking of himself as bigger than the institution or institution in himself! Just like Zia Ul Haq use to think of himself as Islam and Musharraf use to think of himself as pakistan.
CJ is apparently blinded by the power and respect he got and unable to digest it.
it has everything to do with scotland yard .he was living there . all trasactions took place in england .so it has everything to do with scotland yard
@Everybody I have a few questions, i hope anti CJ and Supreme Court will consider them Did Arsalam Iftikhar looted state money or Government resources to get rich? Isnt it a matter between two people Mr Malik and Arsalan Iftikhar? If Arsalan took that money on the name of his father (which most of you people are enchanting) then why didnt Mr Malik get any favors? (He said in Press Conference he got no favors but 42 decisions against him) Will anyone of you bribe someone to act against you? Why would NAB or Govt Agencies investigate a matter between two people about some financial matters involving not even a single penny of Government reserves?
Please reply me with logic.
100% agree with Asma. If SC cannot trust NAB and FIA then how can SC be trusted.
Musharraf's reference carried clear evidences against CJ's corruption, but no one has answered to those charges yet. The constitution was broken by bipassing the Supreme Judicial Council instead, but no one cared at that time..
All those who are attacking CJ have no sense of neutral analogy! Can you answer me what the great FIA has done for common Pakistanis? is there job to protect the corrupt? what about NAB? the NAB chairman's daughter has been working for Bahria & just recently resigned, supposedly. nobody trusts the FIA as the Government is in the habit of changing honest officers & if those officers are given the stay orders the government then goes after the family member of that officers, this is the government you guys support! bravo! CJ has ruined the lives of the common man or the PPP government? CJ might not be pure but he is way better than the corrupt leaders :) Give reasonable arguments against CJ & in support of the FIA NAB or Zardari & if you guys have none then better work in a positive direction for Pakistan instead of blabbering uselessly.
She is ridiculing the PCO CJ. She should be held in contempt of the mighty SC PCO CJ, and debarred from ever speaking to the press ever again.
Really miss Musharraf.
@Hamid Ahmed: nobody is worshiping a human maybe the PPP jayalay or faithful's worship Zardari & co :) OK lets punish CJ & hail Zardari, he has done so much for Pakistan whereas CJ has ruined Pakistan, lets vote for PPP again :) happy now ?
why scotland yard? taxpayer ka paisa faltu ka hai ?
lol...she was sarcastic when she talks about scotland yard...... grow your brain people.. actually SC has opened a pandora box .. anyone can now move to SC and ask for scrapping the NAB's investigation and appoint a new team....
From day one i was saying that nothing is going to heppen because there are uncles and father is judge and judges whwt else u can expect
What has happened to conscience of the judiciary?CJ must take long leave till an independent judiciary decides his infamous sons case.Accused case must be heard not by the existing judges as they will give benefit of doubt to him. I now believe money is power and erstwhile money is not every thing has lost it's morale value.
Asma Jehangir is 100% right. Expect no justice from Chaudhry and no proper investigation by Suddle. SC has become a farce.
She is on the PPP payroll . Everybody in Lahore knows it.
@Naila:
i dont respect this lady anymore…. This shows your bias, which limits your ability to analyze things objectively
I dont know why this lady is supporting PPP too much, although she was very great example n the past just like Atzaz but both r now corrupt - This case has nothing to do with PPP. Seems like you would label anyone who criticizes the atrocities of the SC, as a member of PPP. Asma (and Aitizaz) have great services for the defending the constitution from the judicial onslaught during Zia's, Nawaz's, and Musharraf's era as well as now. They don't need a certificate from you.
no body likes them.. -- Seems like you failed to notice other comments on this page.
double standard people who die for money… shame !!! - Well this is an exact description of you. You are promoting different yardstick for Arsalan and Moonis/Gillani/Kazmi. In fact, Asma is suggesting that everyone should be treated equally, and Arsalan is not more equal than the others.
1) Its true that NAB chairman is appointed by the president and he is biased. I think he should himself and resign keeping in view lot of jobless people in the country. Also there is no particular certification /qualification is required to assume the post of chairman NAB.
2) Offcourse no one has confidence on the national institutions; it is strange that Asma has confidence in these dummy / puppet institutions
Long live Asma Jahangir, Asma Jahangir long live.
Asma dont you know how close are Suddle and Zardari Please ask Fatima Bhutto if in doubt
@Naila:
How is criticism of SC’s apparent double standards in matter of Arsalan the same as supporting PPP?
I can smell nepotism in this whole affair. Whilst I do not agree fully with everything she's written, I can accept most of the views. I find it baffling how this son of Chief Justice can end up a multi-millionaire in such a short space of time and he can afford to spend time in Monaco and mix with world's richest. The most amusing thing is the father claims to know nothing about it when the whole world was aware of it. Our "most perfect" CJ has not bothered to improve the judicial system for ordinary people of Pakistan at all. He's spent most of his last years on high profile cases, in order to improve his own CV. Arslan must be investigated thoroughly and completely independently. Currently it does not appear to be the case. CJ's credibility is at stake and I'm having my own doubts about his intentions.
You as well as others here have not understood her sarcasm. The fact that local Pakistani institutions are incapable and corrupt is SC's verdict not hers. It’s her way to ask SC where then must Pakistanis go? It’s also her way to ask the SC why is it that only in Arsalan’s case local institutions are no good while every other person has to go to the same institutions and accept their investigation? Why the double standard between Arsalan and rest of the people of Pakistan.
i dont respect this lady anymore.... I dont know why this lady is supporting PPP too much, although she was very great example n the past just like Atzaz but both r now corrupt no body likes them.. double standard people who die for money... shame !!!
These courts are working overtime to protect the rights of Arsalan Iftikhars, Malik Ishaqs, and Anjum Aqeels.
This is insanity. A matter between two people which has nothing to do with state resources/money/Treasure will be investigated by scotland yard? Surely she is die hard PPP supporter means she lacks logic and asthetic sense.
Asma, you are being just too much to step into every case to go against CJ and Supreme Court
@casim: Does the CJP has the ability to do justice? absolutely not. Do you know what he did to the reference Musharraf Filed against CJP? why CJP has not answered those allegations or did the case went to SJC? CJP is a Pakistani, like rest of use he is not clean either. Did CJP answered questions raised by Malik Riaz? Stop worshiping humans, please worship Allah.
Excellent suggestion, it will become crystal clear but Asma Ji, are you sure our revered CJ and SC will accept it. I doubt CJ of Pakistan even wants to open this case as he himself along with his bunch may be affected. That self styled Ameerul Momineen and Qazi is after the complainant (accuser) and not after the accused and tried to snub the case by himself but severe criticism put him on hold. Can anyone except Asma Jahangir, ask the Chief Justice to 'write the letter to the Scotland Yard' if Judiciary or Chief Justice is clean and holding The Quran was true.
Scotland Yard would be better option. Arsalan Iftikhar has become bigger than the law, and no one can dare touch him. An outsider is needed to tell the truth. But Arsalan Iftikhar (read SC) would never agree to it, as Scotland Yard would dig out all illegal dealings of not only Arsalan Iftikhar, but all his links with the judges as well as Registrar SC.
Poor Asma has to what she is told by her foreign masters......She has never taken any case in her life where decison could be against western powers.....the way she jumped to save the Great American Hussain Haqqani is a testimony to her mandate......Now U.S is forcing Zardari to make her the interim Prime Minister!!!
Everyone criticizing Ms. Jahangir, please remember that it was the CJ himself who said that he cannot trust Pakistani law enforcement agencies, NOT Ms. Jahangir. Asma Jahangir is suggesting an alternative to Mr. Suddle, who is known to be a close friend of CJ and Arsalan Iftikhar!
Well said Asma, u r our Voltaire
I cannot understand the agenda of this lady. She is just there to criticise SC. I have not seen her happy on any of the SC decisions. Is she following Aitzaz and going to join Zardadri party.? Go for it the lady.
Justice Ifthikhar position as C.J is illegal.He still has to clear himself from the supreme judicial council for the charges filed against him from Musharraf's government.
Likewise Asma lets bring in judges from another country if you are not going to accept SCP or if the Government is not going to obey the orders of SCP. Lets ask the court in England or in Switzerland to probe Zardari & the corrupt Government for money laundering if you & your PPP does not like Pakistan's SC :)
If my son has to be investigated, I would rather have my best friend investigate him.
Asma is way out of step on this one
Asma are you serious?! this is amusing! Scotland yard has nothing to do with arsalan iftikhar case! lets give away Pakistan to them - this is what you'll say next I guess. a few weeks back you claimed that your life is at risk from the intelligence agencies just to come in the limelight, now people give less weightage to the words that come out of your mouth, give us Pakistanis a break PLEASE