'Formation of Suddle commission equivalent to distorting judicial history'

Malik Riaz's counsel says might be difficult for Suddle to investigate due to his ties with CJ's family.

ISLAMABAD: With a review petition filed against the formation of an investigation commission headed by former police official Dr Shoaib Suddle, business tycoon Malik Riaz appeared at the Supreme Court along with his counsel Zahid Bukhari on Tuesday and asserted that constuting the commission was equivalent to distorting the history of the judiciary.

Speaking to the media outside the court, Bukhari said that the plea has been filed on the basis of “apprehensions” and that his counsel had reservations with Dr Suddle heading the one-man commission because of the “social and family relations Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the police official enjoy.”

He said, “The chief justice was invited to Suddle’s son’s valima ceremony, while Dr Suddle was a ‘special guest’ at Dr Arsalan Iftikhar’s wedding. This goes to show the ties between both the families.”

“What else do you call family relations?” questioned Bukhari, while further saying that Riaz was invited by neither Suddle nor Justice Chaudhry.

He posited that it might be a “tough job” for Suddle to carry out investigations.

Riaz’s counsel, while stating that the commission was constituted when the case was in its final stages, said that Riaz’s family was being drawn in without any reason. “Arrest warrant was issued for Ali Ahmed Riaz, while the property seized was that of Bahria Town – is this how justice is done?”

“You cannot leave someone remedy-less, where should Malik Riaz go for justice?”

Bukhari said that the formation of the commission was illegal and that it will give other’s a chance to quote this case when “they are not satisfied with a certain individual or organisation investigating their case.”