ISLAMABAD
\nSupreme Court of Pakistan\u2019s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has raised serious questions over the conduct of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party during the hearing of a petition challenging the NAB amendments.
\nDuring hearing, Justice Shah inquired if Imran and his party abstained from voting on the National Accountability Ordinance amendments. He wondered \u2018what right a party does have to challenge the amendments in a court of law when it abstains from voting on it\u2019! He further inquired if it was sagacious on the part of a parliamentarian to leave his place empty in the parliament house.
\n\u201cIs it an attempt to weaken the parliament if people bring matters to the courts which should have been resolved in the parliament,\u201d the judge questioned. Justice Shah went on to say that if the PTI MNAs\u2019 resignations were not accepted, it meant that their membership was still intact.
\n\u201cAn MNA is a trustee of the confidence of his constituents. Is it fair if the trustee of the constituents boycotts the parliament?\u201d the judge wondered. The judge remarked how we could establish that the NAB amendments case was in public interest.
\nHe wondered if it was the job of three judges sitting here in the court to determine what was in public interest! He said it had not been elaborated which amendments to the NAO were in conflict with the basic rights. He remarked that Imran Khan\u2019s lawyers had been discussing only the Islamic clauses and basic structure of the constitution.
\nFederal government lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan said that had Imran wanted, he could have defeated the NAB amendments in the assembly. Had all the PTI members attend the assembly, they would have been in majority, he added.
\nOn this, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the court would seek a reply from Imran Khan. He hinted at summoning the PTI chief. \u201cWhy not summon Imran and ask him why he wants to contest election when he does not want to go to assembly,\u201d he remarked.
\nThe CJP went on to say that the Election Commission of Pakistan had assured during the National Assembly speaker\u2019s ruling case that it was ready to conduct the general elections in November 2022. He said that the solution to all the problems in the court lay in the elections. He remarked that the parliament was left incomplete intentionally.
\n\u201cThe legislation being done in the current parliament has also become controversial,\u201d the CJP added. The CJP further asked if it was logical not to hear a case of public interest, if the conduct of a petitioner was not right. Every leader tries to refer to the constitution to declare his actions right, the chief justice said adding that boycotting the parliament was PTI\u2019s political strategy but it wasn\u2019t necessary that there should be some legal reason to this political strategy.
\nChief Justice of Pakistan Bandial remarked that sometimes legal strategy seemed to be a political stupidity. He observed that it happened all over the world that parliaments were boycotted and the history of parliamentary boycott was even longer in the subcontinent.
\nJustice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that the petitioner challenged the NAB amendments in public interest. The questions on Imran\u2019s conduct could have only been raised, had he got personal benefit for it. But apparently it seems that the petitioner is not accruing any personal benefit from it, the judge observed.
\nCJP Bandial remarked it seemed obvious that Imran knew that he could not have succeeded in the parliament and he came to the court.
\nJustice Mansoor Ali Shah expressed his bafflement if the court nullified the NAB law then tomorrow another petitioner would have come forward and challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court. The court adjourned the case till February 14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Supreme Court of Pakistan\u2019s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has raised serious questions over the conduct of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party during the hearing of a petition challenging the NAB amendments. During hearing, Justice Shah inquired if Imran and his party abstained from voting on the National Accountability Ordinance amendments. He wondered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-312942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n