ISLAMABAD, May 02 (APP): Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday called for setting up a special committee of the Parliament to examine the decisions of the superior judiciary since 1947.
Speaking in the National Assembly here, the minister said the government had great respect for the judiciary but every institution should work within its constitutional ambit.
He said, “We have to ensure the protection of the elected prime minister. It is the prime obligation of this august House to act as a bulwark against any unconstitutional facilitation.”
The minister said “the victimization of elected prime ministers should be stopped and all those who have violated the Constitution should be made accountable”.
The special committee should also examine the martyrdom of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and disqualification of elected prime ministers Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, he added.
He said the Parliament, being the supreme institution and defender of the Constitution, would not “allow any extra-constitutional move, and surrender its supremacy and authority”.
Khawaja Asif said the people sent their representatives to the Parliament, who always served the masses. They (the parliamentarians) should get united for the sanctity and dignity of the House by setting aside their differences.
“The Supreme Court has sought the details about the Parliament’s proceedings, which, however, were accessible to everyone. The apex court’s directives should be adhered to and the House should also seek the proceedings of that bench in which two judges earlier rescued themselves but later they were included in it,” he added.
He requested the speaker to write to the SC for the “provision of proceedings of the bench”.
He said talks were being held with the opposition, but it was also not “the domain of higher courts to arrange negotiations and it is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution”.
He said the judiciary had given authority to the then-dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for constitutional amendments.
He said the Pakistan People Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) had a political rivalry in the past but their leaders Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shairf inked the Charter of Democracy (CoD), and two successive elected governments completed their constitutional terms under the CoD.
Speaking on a point of order, Member of the National Assembly from Balochistan Mohammad Aslam Bhootani also endorsed the point of view of Khawaja Asif. All the institutions should work in their domains and “respect the Parliament being a mother of all the institutions”, he added.
Public Accounts Committee Chairman Noor Alam Khan, while speaking on the occasion, said as per the Constitution, the proceedings of the House could not be shared with anyone. “No court can demand proceedings of the House,” he added, urging the members to stand up for the Parliament’s sovereignty.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri said the Parliament was not responsible for the current political crisis. Being the supreme body the Parliament could not be dictated, she added.
Referring to the purported audio leak of the son of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, in which he allegedly demanded money from candidates for a party tickets for contesting the elections, she said,” There is a need to follow and respect the Constitution.”
Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Jamaat Islami said as per the Constitution, the Parliament was the supreme body. The Constitution, framed by the Parliament had defined the domains of all institutions, he added.
