LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has accused the Supreme Court of acting on behalf of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan as his defence team in the two disqualification cases that the apex court benches heard and made decisions on – the petition that Imran Khan brought against Nawaz Sharif leading to his disqualification and the petition against Imran Khan that saved him from disqualification in almost completely similar cases, carrying similar evidence but different yardsticks of law used by the judges.
A defiant Nawaz Sharif gave his first reaction here after an Supreme Court bench on Friday dismissed disqualification petition brought against Imran Khan by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi and disqualified PTI’s Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen. Nawaz Sharif looked emboldened and confident and minced no words in his criticism of the judiciary; and it’s understood that Nawaz Sharif had watched the speech made by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nasir, stressing that the SC had not disqualified Nawaz Sharif under any pressure.
Nawaz Sharif said that he has already predicted that the judges might end up disqualifying him again in the disqualification cases related to Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen.
“The decision in favour of Imran Khan speaks for itself. Everything we have said about double standards is being proved right. Each and everything that we said after 28 July judgement about the bias of judges has turned out to be correct.
The judgement in favour of Imran Khan has exposed dual standards of justice,” said the former prime minister while addressing media here.
Nawaz further said that such dual standards will not be tolerated and he would run a strong campaign against it. “My struggle is for the supremacy of law and the Constitution, and I will pay whatever price it takes but won’t let things continue the way they are at present. I will campaign against this kind of justice system nationwide. It cannot go on like this.”
Referring to the Panama Papers verdict which led to his disqualification from the office of prime minister, Nawaz said, “My imaginary salary was considered an asset, but transactions worth thousands of pounds conducted through Niazi Services Limited, which Imran Khan has confessed to himself, are not being considered as assets.
The [Supreme Court] bench gave an explanation on Imran’s behalf and acted his defence for him,” added Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif went on to add: “Imran Khan petitioned against me and sat back while the bench fought the case on Imran Khan’s behalf with full zeal. However, when we petitioned against Imran Khan, the bench became Imran’s advocate. What kind of justice is this?”
Expressing his dissatisfaction at the Panama Papers verdict which disqualified him from holding public office, Nawaz said that a sitting prime minister was disqualified on the basis of an Iqama and for not withdrawing salary from his son, but Imran Khan, who has confessed to his wrongdoings, has been let off the hook.
Imran Khan has time and again said that he owns Niazi Services Limited offshore company and the assets but the SC bench acted as his defence and said it wasn’t owned by him and that Niazi Services wasn’t his asset,” said Nawaz Sharif, adding that one can watch videos of Imran accepting ownership of the Niazi Services Limited.
“This deal won’t be accepted in Pakistan,” he said. “Around two weeks back, I had said that Nawaz will be disqualified yet again in the verdict of the reference against Imran and Tareen, and that is exactly what has happened.”
Nawaz Sharif hit out at the judges who validated martial laws in Pakistan and allowed dictators to make amendments in the laws as per their whims and wishes. He said that the judges have no right to do this with Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif said that the judges came up with the idea of law of necessity in the past but now different benches have their own ideology and separate benches do separate interpretation of law.
Nawaz, along with his daughter Maryam, will reach Pakistan in the morning today (Sunday).
