Islamic clauses in articles 62, 63 won’t be touched

LAHORE: A consultative meeting chaired by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday reviewed the amendment to articles 62 and 63, and decided to restrict it to Article 62(1)F.

The planned amendment is only aimed at determining the period of disqualification and the Islamic clauses of articles 62 and 63 would not be changed. The meeting held at the Jati Umra residence of Nawaz was attended by Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Khawaja Haris, Rana Maqbool and the ousted prime minister’s legal team.

Later, the PML-N leaders said Nawaz Sharif and his family were being denied their basic constitutional and legal rights in the NAB prosecution vis-à-vis the Panama Papers case and, therefore, they would not endorse the unjust process by being a part of that.

Khawaja Saad and provincial minister Rana Sanaullah – flanked by Nawaz’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz – were explaining the former prime minister’s stance on not appearing before the National Accountability Bureau during a press conference at the Lahore Press Club.

From the WhatsApp calls to the composition and functioning of the JIT and how the eventual verdict was reached upon had been a controversial process not just in the eyes of PML-N but also of impartial respected senior members from the legal fraternity, claimed Saad.

“The PML-N has been expressing its reservations and objections over the way the entire process was conducted. Our point of view was heard but not mulled over," he added.

He said although FIA’s Additional Director Wajid Zia was supposed to head the process, it had been controlled by someone else. Answering a question, Saad said, “The PML-N has never once said that Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is part of any conspiracy against the PML-N government or leadership. We believe that he is an honourable and dignified commander of this country’s forces, who has nothing to do with any of this.”

Saad stressed that the ruling party did not have any differences with any institution. "We are fighting for justice", he said. Speaking on the occasion, Amjad said according to the apex court’s directions, there would not be any further investigation in the Panama Papers case other than what had already been done or was received as a consequence of the investigation carried out by the JIT, which principally defeated the very purpose of asking the Sharif Family to appear before the Bureau.

He explained that the NAB law was a five step process that involved investigation, contemplation and escalating the matter to the next step. “At every step, the accused has the legal right to question the Bureau’s judgment and challenge it in the court all the way to the Supreme Court. The Sharif Family has been denied all of these constitutional rights by the Panama Papers case decision which is unprecedented in the history of NAB since its inception,” he added.

“Therefore, appearing before the accountability bureau is pointless,” he opined. Rana Sana said the JIT discriminated against Nawaz and his family and the decision regarding the ongoing investigation had already been made. Wajid never investigated a husband-wife dispute but was made the probe team head, he remarked.

He said the impression that Nawaz and his family were impeding the judicial process by not appearing before NAB was incorrect, because, on the contrary, the judicial rights of the Sharif family were being curbed. The provincial minister said the PML-N would continue questioning why Nawaz and his family were being discriminated against.

He added that the JIT, which had been instructed to complete its investigation in a set time, was being controlled by certain people.

“The NAB, according to those opposing us, was a dead organisation, it had even been buried, but now all of a sudden miraculously it is working at the speed of light and is being lauded,” he noted, adding that the family had been treated unjustly.

Saad said they would continue sharing their stance at every step of the unjust trial. Such judicial decisions had been made in the past too and this too, like those judgments, would become a dark chapter in the history books, he said.   He added that the people’s court gave its decision during Nawaz‘s journey back to home and would give the same verdict in NA-120.