MNAs slam apex court verdict: ‘CJP should be given charge of all institutions’

ISLAMABAD: Members from both the government and opposition benches in the National Assembly on Wednesday criticised the Supreme Court verdict on Punjab polls, saying that the ‘chief justice should be given the charge of all government institutions’.

The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, said that the SC verdict would not be remembered in history in good words and asked the three-member bench to review its verdict. He also said that the appeal against the delay in elections should have been heard by a full bench of the apex court. He said that political parties had also pleaded on different occasions to become party to the case, but their requests were rejected. Coming down hard on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s politics, the opposition leader recalled that nobody within the party was allowed to speak against corruption in Punjab during the previous regime.

He also claimed that he had repeatedly told Imran Khan that Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was involved in corruption through Farah Gogi, but the PTI chairman got annoyed with him when he raised the issue.

Riaz said that he, along with some others, had helped topple the government of ‘traitor’ Imran Khan. “We did not cast our vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, but we supported the move in other ways,” he said. Riaz said that Imran Khan was a ‘Fitna’ who ordered the dissolution of two provincial assemblies, plunging the country into a political crisis. The opposition leader was also unhappy with the present government, saying that the incumbent ministers were having a good time but nobody was being given even a single rupee.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdus Shakoor questioned the utility of the Election Commission of Pakistan if the Supreme Court had to execute its authority. He also said that the chief justice should be given the powers of the prime minister, Senate chairman, NA speaker, and heads of security institutions.

Riaz Ahmad Mazari recalled the use of abusive language in the National Assembly was introduced by Shaikh Rashid Ahmad against Benazir Bhutto in 1988. “It does not suit a parliamentarian to use abusive and vulgar language against any opponent,” he said.

Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haq was of the view that the decision of the three-member bench of the Supreme Court was meant to support the ‘Ladla’. He also said that illegal plazas in Karachi were demolished, but the Bani Gala house of Imran Khan was regularised on the other hand.

The MQM parliamentarian said that fresh general elections should be held only after the results of an ongoing census across the country were compiled and a new demarcation of constituencies was made accordingly. He also said that Imran Khan, who waved a cipher in the House while declaring his removal as a US conspiracy, was now endeavouring to improve relations with the US through his lobbyists.

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel said that the country’s history was a witness to the fact that generals and judges have remained ever ready to crush democracy. He said that he could see a clear divide in the country as elections for two provincial assemblies would be held first and polls for two assemblies would be held afterwards.

Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance Qaisar Ahmad Shaikh said no production or development took place during the tenure of the previous regime. He said he had questioned the State Bank governor and was told that 600 people were given three billion dollars at zero interest rate, which damaged the national economy. He added that exports were down, factories were closing, and people were getting jobless due to the wrong economic policies of the previous government. He said that he has served in the National Assembly for the past 26 years but had never witnessed the country’s rapidly-widening political divide as was happening now. Abdul Hakeem Baloch said that the verdict of the three-member bench of the Supreme Court was a matter of concern, adding that it was only Ladla who gets justice, and judges keep waiting for him to appear in court.