PM’s address in parliament a violation of mandate, says Durrani

ISLAMABAD: Former Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani Tuesday said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s address to the Parliament targeting judiciary was a clear violation of his constitutional mandate as well as oath of his office.

“Parliament should refrain from becoming a party to a person centric feud as misuse of the legislative authority in favour of a person would prove to be a political suicide,” he said while talking to media Tuesday.

To a question he agreed that Parliament has every right to legislate, however, making legislature as a party in direct confrontation to another constitutional organ of state namely judiciary was disservice to the country or democracy. “Parliamentary leaders need to play their role prudently to add some sanity in stopping the PM in his bravado, turning family’s vindictiveness into a tug of war among state institutions,” he opined.

Durrani said it is the constitutional as well as legal domain and authority of judiciary to determine persons charged in the eye of law as to who they were, “Someone is guilty of loot or plunder or not or of any criminality under statutes. The court was vested with the authority to interpret the law and constitution and none other,” former senator explained to another query.

He said it was being perceived that PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was in quest to prove himself a loyalist of the party rather than the state and the Constitution.

The former information minister said the prime minister must realise the fact that after assuming the highest office as premier, his loyalty and duty was towards Constitution and the state and not the party and its head. “Any compromise on the principle would lead into a political chaos and anarchy, which Pakistan cannot afford in current scenario,” he added.