Thursday, December 18, 2008
PML-N Quaid says it's unfair to appoint judges loyal to particular party; bill to be moved for scrapping 17th Amendment
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Advising the government to stop backing Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, former prime minister and PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday made a startling disclosure that he was offered judgment of court cases in his and Shahbaz Sharif's favour if he stops raising the enhanced marks issue of Farah Hameed Dogar.
"I do not want to name the personality who sent the message but I was asked to stop demanding resignation of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar," Nawaz Sharif said while addressing a press conference after chairing the PML-N parliamentary party meeting.
He was flanked by party Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education Abid Sher Ali and others.
The meeting that lasted for two hours at the Punjab House repeated the PML-N's demand of resignation of the chief justice and reviewed the country's security situation. Nawaz said the parliamentary party meeting also decided that the PML-N in consultation with other parties would table a bill in parliament to repeal the 17th Amendment.
Nawaz said just two days before Eid after he demanded the resignation of Abdul Hameed Dogar, he received a message from someone whom he did not want to name. "In the message, I was asked not to speak on the issue of Farah Dogar and in return the judgment of qualification cases of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif will be given in their favour," he said.
The PML-N Quaid regretted the person, who conveyed the message, failed to realise the deplorable implications of the message. "My reaction is not that of an individual. I have in my view the interest of 170 million people of the country and I am being asked to withdraw the demand of resignation of the chief justice," he said.
Nawaz declared that he was prepared to sacrifice thousands of seats but would not compromise on the issue of resignation of the PCO chief justice whose daughter was given additional marks doing grave injustice to thousands of daughters of the nation. "This injustice was meted out not by a dictator but the chief justice of the apex court," Nawaz Sharif said.
Reiterating his demand for the resignation of the chief justice, Nawaz asked the government to stop supporting Abdul Hameed Dogar. "This is a blot on the name of the country, the government and the system," he said.
He said the parliamentary party passed a resolution, demanding immediate resignation of Abdul Hameed Dogar, stressing that there should not be delay of even a single day. "We will pursue this issue till it reaches its logical conclusion," Nawaz said.
He said that Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Senator Ishaq Dar would lead the PML-N campaign respectively in the National Assembly and the Senate. To a question about giving a time-frame to the government on this issue, he said the PML-N did not want to create any difficulties for the government. "Had the government mended its ways, it should be standing on strong footing," he said.
He said the PML-N would bring a privilege motion against the judge who ordered stay against proceedings of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education and the same judge could also be summoned by parliament.
To another question, he said it was up to the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee to call the chief justice to attend the meeting of the committee. About the issue of appointment of new judges in the Supreme Court, he said the government wanted to appoint new judges in the apex court but it should be done in accordance with the Charter of Democracy which was also signed by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and it was also part of the PPP manifesto.
"It would be unfair and wrong to appoint judges loyal to a particular party," he said. He reminded the PPP leadership that it was moral responsibility of President Zardari and his party to abide by the Charter of Democracy.
He said the agreement to repeal the 17th Amendment between him (Nawaz Sharif) and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was also very much there in the Charter of Democracy which says that the amendment would be done away with immediately.
Nawaz said he and Asif Zardari also decided in the Murree Declaration and before the resignation of Pervez Musharraf to repeal the 17th Amendment. He said the parliamentary party decided that the PML-N would bring a bill in the National Assembly to repeal the 17th Amendment. "We will consult other parties to table a bill in parliament to repeal the 17th Amendment," he maintained.
Nawaz pointed out the parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam which had supported the 17th Amendment at the time of its passage, were now ready to play their role in repealing this amendment.
On the issue of the national security, he said the Indian leadership should have trusted the Pakistani leadership instead of moving the UN Security Council. "Both countries should take steps to promote relations," he said.
He regretted that the Indian aircraft violated the airspace of Pakistan at two places but instead of government in India, the president and the prime minister of Pakistan deemed it fit to issue clarification about the incident. He said the parliamentary party also viewed price-hike in the country and problems being faced by growers in getting due prices of their produces.
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