ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in an extraordinary speech on Tuesday, said that the judiciary should be made accountable for disqualifying ex-prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Nawaz Sharif from holding public office.
He lambasted the judiciary while addressing the National Assembly session.
The defence minister’s statement came hours after Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the political parties want to pick and choose the court bench for “desired rulings”.
The CJP passed the remarks as the apex court restarted hearing the petitions challenging the law reducing his office’s powers.
Judiciary’s verdicts
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif was ousted in July 2017 after being disqualified for holding public office by the Supreme Court in a landmark decision on the Panama Papers case.
Announcing its historic ruling, the 5-member bench unanimously disqualified the 3-time prime minister for failing to disclose his un-withdrawn salary constituting assets from UAE-based Capital FZE in his nomination documents for the 2013 General Election, saying that this meant he was not ‘truthful’ and ‘honest’ as per the Constitution.
Similarly, the Supreme Court in June 2012, had disqualified Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the premier in the National Assembly Speaker ruling case.
The then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had read the order as Yousuf Raza Gilani is disqualified from the parliament from 26 April, the date of his conviction. He has also ceased to be the PM of Pakistan.
