Lahore: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that we believe in the power of the vote and that we will not avoid holding elections while speaking to a lawyers’ convention in Rawalpindi. According to him, elections should be held with the support of all parties involved.
The Minister warned that holding elections for two provincial assemblies would worsen the situation and that any contested elections would lead to anarchy and destabilization in the nation. Azam Nazeer Tarar, the minister of law, stated in his speech that the government’s top priority is the welfare and security of the legal community. He also praised the importance of lawyers to democracy and the prompt administration of justice.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday blasted Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial for his remarks on the parliamentarians during a hearing of the Punjab election delay case.
“When the parliamentarians were talking about law and Constitution, you [CJP] taunted them. Do you know how prideul it is to go to jail for a doctrine?” said the PML-N leader.
Maryam’s comments came after CJP remarked that certain lawmakers speaking on the floor of the National Assembly had served jail terms and were declared traitors in the past.
“Today, when you go to parliament, you find people […] who were, until yesterday, in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors. They are now talking over there, and being respected because they are representatives of the people.”
His remarks were also criticised by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who said that it was a matter of pride for him that he had been released by the high court on merit in false and fabricated cases.
“It is our right under the Constitution to express our views in the parliament,” he said.
Maryam said that the chief justice had gotten emotional during the election delay case hearing, adding that he should have gotten emotional when “I spent five months in Adiala Jail and five months in NAB’s (National Accountability Bureau) custody”.
Referring to her imprisonment, Maryam said that she was in Adiala Jail for 5 months, but the chief justice did not get emotional at that time.
Moving on to arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Maryam said that the ex-chief of Inter-Services Intelligence General (retd) Faiz Hameed was the biggest facilitator of the former premier.
She said that though the former military man had hung his boots now, his remnants were still facilitating Khan.
Maryam said Khan’s wife directed the PTI’s social media team leader Arsalan Khalid to link everyone to the treason when the former premier staged the “cypher drama”.
She stated that PML-N leaders served the sentences given unjustly but they appeared before the courts.
“Only those whose hands are clean do this,” said Maryam.
She asked if “Pinky pirni” (Bushra Bibi) wasn’t a public office holder then why she [Maryam] and Justice Isa’s wife Sarina Isa were treated like public office holders.
Maryam further slammed Khan for not declaring Tyrian White as his daughter.
“When a prime minister can be disqualified over an Iqama, then why couldn’t another prime minister be disqualified over such a big lie,” she asked.
She said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had gone to jail in a false case while the PTI chief was getting bail in dozens of cases.
Agencies
