The PTI has demanded a full court without including Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa on the judicial meddling claims as Imran Khan’s party rejected the seven-member Supreme Court bench.
“The benchmark of the justice should be served and a full court must hear this case, minus the chief justice this is our demand,” PTI Secretary Information Rauf Hassan said in an interview with Shaukat Piracha on Aaj News show Rubaroo aired on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the top court took suo motu notice of the allegations levelled by the six IHC judges and constituted a seven-member bench to hear the matter. The PTI has also been demanding this.
According to the roster, the bench will comprise the chief justice, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan — all available judges on principal seat Islamabad.
The case will be taken up on Wednesday (April 3) at 11:30am.
Rauf stated that the former ruling party has no confidence in this bench, alleging that they pick and choose the judges for the bench. “We don’t have any faith on this bench. We want the full court and we want live streaming of the case proceedings.”
This does not end here as the party has also demanded the minutes of the CJP’s meeting with the high court judges as to how the former convinced the latter. “According to my information, there were lots of people who disagreed with the CJP. There has to be a transparent investigation.”
He reiterated that the party does not believe in the bench, demanding that the CJP should not be part of the bench.
While reacting to the high court’s decision to suspend Imran Khan and his wife’s sentence in the gifts case, he said “It was the first drop of rain” and the party has to achieve more goals.
He hoped that Khan’s sentence would be suspended by the high court in the Toshakhana, cypher, and Iddat cases.
According to Rauf, four people have been indicted in the six judges’ letter including intelligence agencies and their operatives, the executive, the IHC chief justice, and the CJP.
He added that the reason for summoning the Supreme Judicial Council meeting was that judges from across the country should express their concerns in it.
“My concern is principle how a nominated suspect can form a commission,” he said and called for not mitigating the importance of the letter while describing it as “revolution and volcanic.”
When asked, he said that claims by former judge Justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz and May 9 should also be investigated. In response to a question, he said: “We are heading towards new lawyers movement.”
MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar, who had joined the show via video link, was of the view that the country was heading towards “judicial adventurism” after “judicial activism”.
He went on to add that political parties have been victims of the status quo in the country, adding that claims made by the six IHC judges have also been made in the past.
Sattar said that the credibility of institutions was at stake. “People are concerned and confused.”
He added that if former CJP Tasadduq Hussain Jilani had recused from the inquiry committee then other names for the committee should have been considered. According to the MQM-P leader, the struggling economy was the biggest issue for the country.
In the last part of the show, PPP leader Saleem Mandviwalla was the guest. In response to a question on Karachi issues, he said that the party had proposed a safe city project for Karachi but it hit a snag.
He was of the view that the provincial government has to see the root cause of the resurgence of dacoits in the riverine areas and street crimes.
When asked is PPP leader Yousaf Raza Gillani will be elected as Senate chairman, he said the issue was whether upper house of Parliament elections will be held or not after a petition was filed in the Peshawar High Court.
