ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Monday highlighted the importance of justice dispensation in society without any discrimination for achieving required goals of national development and prosperity.
Addressing a news conference along with federal cabinet members and leadership of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), she quoted the famous saying of Winston Churchill, who during the World War-II had raised the question “whether the country courts are dispensing justice, if yes, no force of the world can defeat us.”
She said it was unfortunate that during the past few years, there was a series of “startling decisions by the judiciary”, adding there could be a ‘wrong decision’ but it should not have consistency as the court verdicts left deep impact on society for decades.PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that she had been advised by ‘sympathizers’ not to hold the media talk as it would affect her appeal in the Panama case that was being heard by the Islamabad High Court and was in its “final stages”.
“However, I said that the people’s representative has to think beyond themselves and think about the people.”
“I can write an essay praising the judiciary but one wrong decision will dismiss the entire [argument],” she said. On the other hand, a decision based on justice could withstand criticism, she said.
She said Hamza Shehbaz won the slot of Punjab Chief Minister in the run-off election, but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) approached the Lahore Registry of Supreme Court, over jumping the court walls, that opened late night despite holiday.
It was ironic that the Registrar waited for filing of the petition that wasn’t even ready by that time, she added. “It never happens in filing of petitions.”
Maryam Nawaz expressed concern over the existing system of petition filing and constitution of court benches.
She recalled that in the Senate chairman’s election as many as six votes were rejected; and subsequently Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani was elected as the chairman. The court was approached which said that ruling of the presiding officer ‘cannot be challenged.”
Contrary to it, he said, in the Punjab Chief Minister’s election, Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Q on the advice of party head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but in that case the PTI was being entertained fully.
Maryam Nawaz said PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had asked his party MPAs to cast their vote in favour of Hamza Shehbaz but they defied, so their votes were rejected in line with the law and the Constitution.
She said Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari was summoned by the Supreme Court on rejecting the PML-Q votes, but former deputy speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri who had violated the Constitution by rejecting the no-confidence motion against the then prime minister Imran Khan was not summoned.
She said 25 lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly were de-seated by the court on a petition of the PTI and even their votes were not counted in the chief minister’s election held in April, adding “ninety-five per cent independent jurists said that it was tantamount to rewriting the Constitution . . . resultantly 25 PML-N members were given to the PTI . . . the PML-N votes go in minus and PTI’s in plus.”
She was of the view that the interpretation and definition of the Constitution should not vary on case to case basis.
Maryam Nawaz said PML-N chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was ousted in the Panama case from the premiership and even removed from the party’s top slot for holding an ‘Iqama,’ saying that the party head was ‘everything’ as he influenced running the party affairs and on voters.
“Now, when Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as the PML-Q head gives directives to party members, they come under question. But, when PTI chairman Imran Khan gives order it stands respectable,” she said, adding in the case of Chaudhry Shujaat, the parliamentary party stood superior, but in the PTI case, the party head was given weightage.
“There is no insult to any institution from outside as it happens from within,” she said.
Maryam Nawaz also quoted a saying of Khulfa-e-Rashdeen (First four Caliphs after Hazrat Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) that a system of ‘Kufr’ (non-believing in Islam) could sustain in a society but not of the cruelty.PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said the country would be able to effectively tackle the confronted challenges when justice would be dispensed without any discrimination.
She said since Hamza Shehbaz became Punjab’s Chief Minister, he was unable to perform his duties as he remained stuck up in matters related to the ‘Parliament and Court.’
She said the previous government of PTI in its tenure ruined the national economy, but no one commented on it, but they started commenting on the state of the economy when the incumbent government came into power in April, 2022.
If the economic comparison had to be drawn, she said, it would be between 2017, when Nawaz Sharif was ousted, and April 2022, when Imran Khan left the economy on ‘ventilator.’
The PML-N Vice President said Imran Khan gave Rs 50 billion to Malik Riaz, Pakistan received from the UK National Crime Agency in a money laundering case, after getting the ‘sealed letter’ approved from his cabinet. “Rs 50 billion was siphoned off to Malik Riaz. It was the national wealth…where is its money trail.”
She said the country was facing turbulence since 2017 and the national economy was not getting stable.
She said the majority of judges enjoyed a good reputation and integrity and they should also be made part of the benches hearing PML-N cases.
She regretted that the PML-N leadership was called with the titles of ‘Godfather and Sicilian Mafia,’ besides holding extensive investigation against them but could not prove corruption even of a single penny.
Maryam Nawaz said the ‘declared absconder’ Imran Khan was used to appear in court hearings with protocol, while PML-N leaders Talal Chaudhry and Daniyal Aziz faced contempt of court proceedings.
She said the PTI, during its previous 126-day sit in 2014, had launched a physical attack on state institutions including Parliament House and Pakistan Television Headquarters, but unfortunately, he was not held accountable.
Now, the episode repeated when the PTI was given access to the red zone for the peaceful long march, but it turned into a violent protest.PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said it was unfortunate that a ‘liar ’[Imran Khan] was awarded a certificate of the upright and truthful person, who always remained indulged in violating the law and defying court directives, as he had committed in the recent so-called long march.
She said the stories of ‘Sadaqat-o-Amanat’ had started getting fame now after handing over Rs 50 billion to Malik Riaz and the alleged corruption of Farah Gogi and the Maneka family.
She said no one had taken notice of the abroad-fleeing of Farah Gogi and former SAPM on Accountability Shehzad Akbar, issuing of officials funds by Imran Khan to MNAs for political gains, closure of NAB case against Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, inquiries in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and Malam Jabba case.
Maryam Nawaz said the foreign funding case of PTI, which related to fake accounts and prohibited funding, was pending for the last seven years. Had there any party other than the PTI, it would have not been spared, she added.
Answering a question, she said it was strange that Imran Khan was leveling rigging allegations even after winning the recent by-polls in Punjab.
She said the PTI chairman was pressuring the own-appointed Chief Election Commissioner, by leveling the rigging allegations, to get the foreign funding case decision in his favour.
To another question, she said Nawaz Sharif was innocent and implicated in baseless cases, while Imran Khan, a wanted accused in different cases, was moving freely. “Nawaz Sharif wanted to return to Pakistan . . .,” she remarked.
