Establishment has developed a taste for making political decisions in the country: Fawad Chaudhry
Says judges & generals cannot continue to take decisions behind closed doors
People are aware of why the SC ‘did not want to investigate the cipher’: Fawad Chaudhry
Says if we begin to pursue cases under article 6, we will find there are more people to hang than there are nooses
LAHORE ( Web News )
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s judgment, rejecting the party’s foreign conspiracy theory, “full of errors” in a suo motu case over former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri’s ruling on the no-confidence motion against ex-prime minister Imran Khan.
“The history of Supreme Court decisions in Pakistan has not been that bright,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former minister for information and broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said in a press conference on Thursday after the apex court, in a detailed judgment, noted that the SC was not satisfied as insufficient evidence had been presented to support PTI’s claim of foreign interference.
Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the PTI had urged the apex court to investigate the matter and submitted documents related to the “cipher” to the court, but the SC turned down the request and asked the party to not “speak on the cipher in detail”.
The PTI leader said the SC judgment states that there wasn’t enough material to back the foreign conspiracy theory as “the court did not even bother to look at the evidence”.
In the detailed judgment, the court noted that no inquiry was ordered into the matter to ascertain the nature or extent of involvement of any person in Pakistan to seek or receive the support of a foreign state to move the no-confidence motion.
“The reservation on the part of the NSC to recommend stronger measures against the alleged foreign conspiracy probably reflects the inadequacy of the material to take more assertive action. This perhaps also explains the lacklustre response by the PCS and the members of the treasury in their respective meeting and sitting of 31.03.2022.”
Moreover, the PTI leader claimed that people are aware of why the SC “did not want to investigate the cipher” as once the probe of the alleged conspiracy begins, then a conversation — that “they want to avoid” — will take place.
The PTI and party chairman Imran Khan have repeatedly blamed a United States-backed conspiracy that led to their government’s ouster on April 11 — and eventually led to the formation of the coalition government.
Fawad Chaudhry said that the justices should have “read the cipher” before penning the judgment and added that once the PTI comes back into power, it will quash the order through Parliament. He said that the cipher was present with Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and other judges including in the bench should have asked the CJP to show them the cipher prior to pinning the judgment. Fawad Chaudhry said that the Supreme Court delayed the detailed judgment for four months and it could have delayed it for some more days as the bye-elections are going to be held on 20 seats on 17th July.
“Right now, the assembly is occupied, but once the PTI forms government with ⅔ majority, we will quash this judgment through the National Assembly,” the PTI leader said.
Commenting on Justice Mazahar Alam Khan Miankhel’s additional note, Fawad Chaudhry said that “if we begin to pursue cases under article 6, we will find there are more people to hang than there are nooses”.
In his additional note, the justice observed that President Dr. Arif Alvi, then PM Imran Khan, then NA speaker Asad Qaiser, ex-deputy speaker, and former law minister Fawad Chaudhry had violated their authority.
“Whether these acts attract Article 6 of the Constitution (high treason) is also left open to be determined by the parliamentarians to ponder whether they should leave open the doors to such unconstitutional acts or take suitable measures to stop such a mess in future,” he had suggested.
The PTI leader went on to say that in Pakistan, “the establishment has developed a taste for making political decisions in the country”. “This can no longer occur, that judges and generals make decisions behind closed doors,” he said.
Fawad Chaudhry said that the apex court had given good decisions in the past but termed the judgment on Suri’s ruling to be “full of contradictions”.
“This judgment will be presented in parliament and it will be decided whether Article 6 (which pertains to treason) applies to a violation of Article 69,” Fawad Chaudhry said. Article 69 of the Constitution states that courts are not to inquire into proceedings of parliament.
He urged the judges to practice caution and respect the mandate of “Pakistan’s biggest political power” and to let “political decisions be taken in the political arena”.
He further said the establishment had been making “political decisions”. “Unfortunately, this is Pakistan’s history,” he said, adding that this, however, would change.
“After such a big media revolution, this cannot continue. People will have to be given the right to decide. Judges and generals cannot continue to take decisions behind closed doors,” he said, adding that the nation was “ready for a revolution”.
Fawad Chaudhry said that President Dr. Arif Alvi had already sent a letter requesting the formation of a commission to investigate the cypher. “But there has been no reply as yet,” he regretted.
He further referred to former US national security adviser John Bolton admitting during an interview with “CNN” that US had been carrying out foreign coups. “But our Supreme Court is not ready to acknowledge this,” Fawad Chaudhry said, adding that “we are presenting the material but you are not ready to see it”.
“On the other hand, you give a judgment saying that it was not presented. So, you either see the material and decide on its basis or you don’t see it and make a political decision.”
The PTI leader also took exception to the timing of the detailed judgment, saying that by-polls in Punjab were just two days away. “You held it for four months, could have held it for two more days. But it’s up to you.”
Fawad Chaudhry demanded that the cypher be investigated, claiming that it had been delivered to the CJP in a sealed envelope. “But the SC wrote in its judgment that the cypher was not presented. The judges should ask the CJP why was it not shared.”
During the press conference, a reporter pointed out that when the PML-N used to issue statements against judges, institutions and the army during the PTI’s tenure, they were called “traitors”. “But the PTI is doing the same today,” the reporter said.
Fawad Chaudhry replied by saying that no country could run without judges and generals. “The establishment is a country’s backbone. A country cannot run without it,” he said, adding that he was neither talking about the judges nor the generals. “You talk about issues, you criticise issues.”
Furthermore, he said, “It is to be decided that revolution will be brought by vote or as happened in Sri Lanka.” Fawad Chaudhry added that the people of Pakistan must be given the right to make decisions and they are ready for revolution.