Judges wanted reference against ex-CJP Saqib Nisar, Khaqan quotes intermediaries

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that he was approached in late 2017 by credible intermediaries of judges at the highest level of the judiciary who wanted the government to file a reference for misconduct against the chief justice of Pakistan before the Supreme Judicial Council.

In response to the story ‘Nawaz Wanted to Remove Saqib Nisar’ published in The News on Sunday, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has issued the following clarification: “The news story by Mr. Ansar Abbasi carried in The News yesterday is unfortunately based on selective statement of facts by his sources. The basic facts in the matter, as I recall them, are as follows:

“I was approached in late 2017, during my tenure as prime minister, by credible intermediaries of judges at the highest level of the judiciary who wanted the government to file a reference for misconduct against the chief justice of Pakistan before the Supreme Judicial Council. It was clear to me that this reference, regardless of its merits, was based upon personal gain and represented unprecedented intrigue at the highest echelons of the judiciary. I privately took the president of Pakistan into confidence in the matter.

“I also consulted former prime minister and PML-N president Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and it was decided that our government would not become part of filing any such reference; the matter ended there.

“Holding public office demands a certain level of discretion and propriety; I believe that a public discourse on an issue which may result in unwarranted attention to the institution of the judiciary would be unwise.”