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Thursday March 28, 2024

Tale of two lucky, not so lucky law ministers

By Tariq Butt
December 04, 2017

ISLAMABAD: It is a tale of two law ministers, one of them being lucky to survive till to date and the other not being so lucky to have been eased out for a crime he had not committed. Both Rana Sanaullah and Zahid Hamid faced equally discomforting rows one after another over the past four years, remaining in deep water most of the time.

Of them, Sanaullah is a hard nut to crack and has the guts to courageously take even on his most lethal opponents and is not scared of a head-on approach when push comes to shove. He has the knack to deal with even most tough issues. He is the main point man of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif especially in troubled spots and areas, and on sensitive issues.

Zahid Hamid is a soft-spoken thorough professional lawyer and avoids unnecessary confrontation, sticking to his stand on legal matters. While he tries to keep himself away from controversies, difficult situations continued to haunt him at every step throughout his incumbency.

This is the second time that Zahid Hamid has to leave the law ministry, this time maybe permanently during the present tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, which has just six months to go. Previously, he had to quit fearing an adverse decision from the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Only once Rana Sanaullah had to vacate his all-powerful portfolio in the wake of June 2014 Model Town Lahore tragedy in which nearly a dozen people were killed in clashes between police and workers of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) of Allama Tahirul Qadri.

However, in May 2015 he was reinstated as the Punjab law minister. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had removed him saying the difficult decision was necessary to make it visible to everyone that justice is being done. It was in fact a step to offset the pressure the PML-N was facing after the catastrophic incident.

A week before Sanaullah’s restoration, a joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the Punjab government to investigate the Model Town episode exonerated the chief minister and Sanaullah from charges of ordering or abetting the police action. All JIT members had unanimously declared both innocent and dismissed allegations levelled against them in the case lodged by Minhajul Quran as baseless and without any evidence, the report said adding that neither the federal government had any role in law and order of Punjab nor was any evidence found to support the abetment charges.

Whether there has been any by-election or a problem of law and order anywhere in Punjab, Sanaullah is launched to meet the challenge. He is known for having met with successes most of the time. He is strong-headed and can’t be bullied.

Now, he is again engulfed by a controversy over his statement about Ahmedis that he has clarified and denied what has been imputed to him. The demand is to axe him. A successful agreement with a faction of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which was staging a sit-in in Lahore, has largely diluted this call. However, the custodian of the Sial Sharif shrine has insisted on his ouster.

The way Sanaullah works with complete confidence backing of PML-N President ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, he is all set to satisfy the elderly custodian as well. To expect that they will agree to his expulsion is out of question. Most jobs that the chief minister is required to do are handed over to Sanaullah in the Punjab.

The kidnapping and worst torture of Sanaullah a few years back did not dent his resolve to speak truth even on touchy matters on which most PML-N leaders would not hesitate to say what he would state without any reluctance, fear or repercussions. He is not in the habit of mincing words.

Before the present dispute, he and Abid Sher Ali had locked horns in the local council elections in Faisalabad. Being a close relative of the Sharifs, it was not easy for them to annoy Abid Sher Ali but at the same time they did not wish to displease a doer like Sanaullah. Finally, they amicably resolved the matter in a way that both sides buried rancor.

Zahid Hamid briefly served as the law minister in June 2013 before being appointed as the science and technology minister till November 2014. Later, he was made the law minister. In November 2015 he was assigned the climate change ministry and in 2016 was given the additional portfolio of the law ministry. Like all other cabinet members, he ceased to hold the office in July 2017 when it stood disbanded following the Supreme Court-imposed disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama case. The new premier inducted him as the law minister once again.

Zahid Hamid had served as the law minister of Pervez Musharraf for which he always provoked taunts and boos from the PML-N detractors. He is also accused of having played a role in drafting the notorious Nov 3, 2007 emergency proclamation of Musharraf. In the 2008, he switched to the PML-N from the PML-Q and won his native seat. He was the legal adviser of his party during its opposition days.

Last week, Zahid Hamid has to quit once again due to the row over the change of election oath. But he has no fault whatsoever and even those who demanded his resignation were also convinced that he is not responsible. However, to end the unnecessarily raging storm, he bowed out gracefully.