‘CJP shouldn’t go where he is not supposed to’

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said the chief justice should not go to places where he has no business.

Talking to media persons outside the Accountability Court on Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif criticised the role of the superior judiciary and said it was assuming the role of executive as well as legislature. “They assumed the role of legislature and set aside a law that was approved by the parliament to remove me from the presidency of the party. With so many suo motu notices on the administrative affairs, now the Supreme Court is assuming the role of the executive as well,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif reminded the apex court about a backlog of 1.8 million court cases. He urged the apex court to have a look at its own affairs. “The CJP is talking about the clean water, roads, security and adulteration of milk. It is better if he takes care of his own institution,” Nawaz said.

Talking about the cross-examination of the JIT chief Wajid Zia who admitted before the court that he has no evidence whatsoever about the role of Nawaz Sharif in any financial matter disputed before the court through corruption cases, he said all the facts have now come to the surface and the world is witnessing these developments. He said Wajid Zia has washed away all the allegations earlier levelled against him.

“This is neither a case of corruption nor even a political case but a fraud that is being committed against me and many forces are behind this. The Panama case was filed in the court by our political opponents and then the language used by the Supreme Court reveals that it is a political case,” he said, adding, “If they have to convict me at all costs, convict me in cases like the Haj corruption, NICL, EOBI, NLC, SGS and Cotecna, where corruption worth billions of rupees was committed.”

To a question that if there is any imminent patch-up as Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday met with Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Nawaz said he has no knowledge of the meeting, but that is a good development. “The CJP is visiting government hospitals and he is talking about the issues related to the private medical colleges. I reckon that under the garb of action against medical colleges, the CJP may also take action against us as we also have a private medical college by the name of Sharif Medical Institute that is a charitable organisation,” he said.

Referring to a statement of Imran Khan where he said that he would resist any NRO for Nawaz Sharif and would not let him go out of the country, the former prime minister said in his opinion now someone else has to go out of country this time. “Imran says that he would resist, I don’t know in which world he lives. I am facing court cases and I am not the one to run away. Had Imran faced court cases like me, he may have got to know the hardships,” Nawaz said.

“If I had to run away, why I would have returned to the country? I came here, went to London and came back once again. My wife is critically ill in London and I have reasons to stay there, then why I would return to the country,” Nawaz said.