PML-N video leak: Time for superior judiciary to act: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday expressed grave concern over a video leaked out by the PML-N showing a judge claiming that he’d been pressured to give the desired verdict in Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference against former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

“This is not the first time that such accusations have been made. In the past, similar allegations of exerting pressure on judges have also been made. It is indeed a sad commentary on the health of Pakistani democracy that such accusations continue to be made so often and so repeatedly,” PPP spokesman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar quoted Bilawal as saying in a statement.

The PPP chairman called upon the superior judiciary to take an appropriate action. “If for some reasons the judiciary is not inclined to address such issues then the opposition parties must deliberate on it and formulate a united course of action,” he said. Bilawal said it was most unfortunate that even today pressure reportedly was being exerted on the judges to deliver preferred verdicts in corruption cases against the opposition leaders. He said presidential references against some honorable judges of the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court were also seen by many as an attempt by the regime to undermine judicial independence.

Bilawal appealed to all judges under pressure to recuse themselves rather than give decisions under pressure. “The party demands remedial measures to ensure independence of the judiciary and to ensure that justice is not only done but also seen to be done,” he added. He also called upon all the institutions to stay within their constitutional domains.