The cabinet has approved a bill to be tabled In the parliament which will exempt the president, the prime ministers, governors, chief ministers and ministers from contempt of court proceedings. The bill indicates the mindset of the ruling clique. God forbid, if the bill becomes law it will be a great blow to the superior judiciary, which will be rendered toothless. Already, the superior judiciary cannot get its judgment on the NRO and the Swiss cases implemented. If the superior courts cannot have their judgments implemented despite their being armed with powers to summon government and officials and leaders to the courtroom for contempt of court, they will be totally ineffective without these powers. No ruler will give a damn to court judgments.
All political parties, including the PPP’s partners in the ruling coalition, must oppose this amendment, if they have even a grain of patriotism and decency left. If not we can say goodbye to this already collapsing nation and it’s only institution which resisting massive corruption and highhandedness.
Zaheer Ahmed
Islamabad