File photo of Interior Minister Rehman Malik. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court rejected Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s apology for committing contempt of court in reference to the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) corruption case, Express News reported on Monday.
The Supreme Court had taken a suo moto action against the corruption charges against PSM. Rehman Malik’s involvement in the case began when he formulated a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) joint investigation team to investigate the corruption case.
Rehman had submitted his written apology to the court last month and had maintained that he initiated the investigation because National Assembly asked him for details.
The Supreme Court had issued a contempt of court notice to Interior Minister Rehman Malik for “unnecessary transfers” of officials conducting the probe, on December 17, 2009.
The Supreme Court has ordered the framing of contempt of court charge against Malik.
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While it is undeniably the duty of the judiciary to dispense justice, governing has to be left within the purview of the executive if the system is to function and not suffer paralysis. Parliament too has had its complaints against what has been seen as an increasingly overweening judiciary. Then there is the accusation that the SC’s priority has tended to weigh against the PPP and its leaders more and adopted a relatively ‘softly, softly’ approach to the PML-N. Whether there is any truth in this or not, the mere perception is damaging to the esteemed institution of the judiciary. ‘Pick and choose justice’, compounded by using up the judiciary’s precious time on relatively fresh cases, ignoring the mountain of backlog that clogs the veins of the judicial system, is seen in some quarters as weakening the ends of justice. It is sad to ruminate that the goodwill and prestige the judiciary enjoyed after its restoration in 2009 has been eroded by subsequent developments. That is why the time-honoured principle of judicial restraint is still the best course to return to even at this late stage.
Vendetta!
Lock this clown up for ever.