ISLAMABAD
\nThe Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Monday instructed authorities concerned to submit the asset details of Supreme Court Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.
\nThe development comes \u2014 amid the ongoing tug-of-war between parliament and the judiciary \u2014 after the National Assembly last week asked the PAC to carry out a special audit of Justice Naqvi\u2019s accounts and sources of income following corruption allegations against him.
\nSeveral references have been filed against Naqvi in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for alleged misconduct and having assets beyond means, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also blaming him for being \u201cbiased\u201d against the party.
\nThe decision was made at a meeting of the PAC, under the chairmanship of Noor Alam Khan, with 13 out of 14 members voting in favour of summoning the details of the judge\u2019s assets.
\nSenator Mohsin Aziz \u2014 a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf \u2014 was the only member who opposed the move.
\nDuring the meeting, the committee chairman said he was not ready to let the allegations slide as they were of corruption. \u201cI will not leave this matter alone as it pertains to corruption.\u201d \u201cI will take action against my sister, daughter, and children if they are involved in corruption,\u201d he said, warning all those members who were not present in today\u2019s meeting that he would issue summons to ensure their attendance.
\nHe also warned the chief secretaries of all the provinces that he would have their warrants issued if they did not appear in the next committee meeting.
\nThe committee chairman asked the Auditor General of Pakistan to investigate the categories of the land that the judge owns and submit a report to him. He directed authorities to submit the travel history of the SC judge.
\nFurther, the committee chairman also directed the National Database and Registration Authority to provide a list to him of the family members of the top court\u2019s judge.
\nNot only was the PML-N speaking against the judge, but in March, his name surfaced in connection with the recent audio leaks purportedly involving him, former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi, and others.
\nA number of references have been filed to date against the top court\u2019s judge for alleged \u201cmisconduct\u201d and for allegedly violating \u201cthe judicial code of conduct, the Constitution and the law\u201d.
\nJustice Qazi Faez Isa, the senior most judge of the SC after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had also asked the top judge to call a meeting of the SJC to discuss the allegations against Justice Naqvi.
\nRabbani against move
\nIn a statement, former chairman Senate Senator Raza Rabbani said the PAC will be out of jurisdiction if it inquires into the matter of the wealth of an individual judge of the Supreme Court.
\nOther matters related to the finances of the institution of the Supreme Court may be taken up by the PAC, the Pakistan Peoples Party leader suggested.
\n\u201cParliament ought not to do what the law or the Constitution, 1973, does not permit it to do. It must guard strongly that it has primacy over institutions functioning under the Constitution,1973, and its right of legislation and control over the purse strings.\u201d The Parliament has for long abdicated its rights to the judiciary and the executive, he said, \u201cit must stand up to defend its territory and guard its constitutional rights\u201d.
\nAll institutions functioning under the Constitution must adhere to the concept of trichotomy of power, he stressed.
\n\u201cThe present intra-institutional crisis requires an institutional dialogue. The Parliament should take the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Monday instructed authorities concerned to submit the asset details of Supreme Court Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi. The development comes \u2014 amid the ongoing tug-of-war between parliament and the judiciary \u2014 after the National Assembly last week asked the PAC to carry out a special audit of Justice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-330098","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n