ISLAMABAD, Dec 04 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday said that prisoners are not authorized to hold political discussions and their meetings are arranged under the supervision of the Superintendent of Prison as per the jail rules.
He was addressing a a press conference here in Islamabad at Pakistan Television (PTV) along with Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar. He discussed in detail the current political and constitutional situation of the country, rules of prison visits, defense appointments and recent policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The Federal Law Minister said that social media platforms are subject to their international policies and the government avoids unnecessary or frivolous statements. He said that where legal action is required, steps will be taken as per the laws of the country.
The Law Minister termed the desire of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to meet the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in jail as unconstitutional and said that according to the decisions of the Supreme Court, no convicted person is authorized to make political decisions.
He said that in the past, in such cases, the tickets of candidates were also declared null and void, and they were later declared independent candidates.
Explaining the prison rules, Azam Nazeer Tarar said that prisoners are not authorized to hold political discussions and the meetings are held under the supervision of the Superintendent of Prisons. He said that the details of the meeting cannot be made public and if the superintendent fears that the discussion may affect law and order, he has the authority to stop the meeting.
He said that the discussion between a lawyer and a client is personal in nature but no one can be allowed to create a political agenda. In response to a question, the federal minister, while terming the speculations regarding defense appointments as baseless, said that under the reforms carried out last year, the service period of high military posts has been increased from three years to five years and there is also scope for reappointment.
He said that all appointments will be made completely in accordance with the constitutional and legal procedures, and there is no ambiguity in this regard.
The Law Minister said that Punjab and the federation are part of the same system and both governments take guidance from their political leadership. He clarified that there is harmony between the federation and the province.
He said that the previous PTI government itself imposed restrictions during the meetings of Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif in jail and there was also a delay in obtaining the right to a legal meeting, despite which the court had allowed it with the condition that the details of the meeting should not be given to the media.
The federal minister, while talking about the political strategy of PTI, said that the party itself dissolved the assemblies, boycotted the elections itself and made mistakes at the internal level itself. He said that the government and the opposition had agreed on the election date in the negotiation committee formed by the Supreme Court, but it was suddenly vetoed, affecting the negotiation process.
He said that the law is equal for everyone and the state is bound to take action against its violation. He said that the prison authorities are taking steps under the law and no matter how big a person is, everyone is equal under Article 25 of the Constitution.