Khawaja Asif for 'full-house committee' to probe constitutional violations till date
Pakistan
Urges parliament to act resolutely
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News/APP) - Reiterating his proposal to hold the judiciary accountable, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday a resolution must be passed to form a full-house committee to investigate constitutional violations [committed by the judiciary] from Justice Munir till date.
His statement comes on the second successive day as the Supreme Court had ordered NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to furnish it with the record of parliamentary proceedings on the bill clipping CJP's powers. The Speaker office later turned down the request.
Addressing the National Assembly session, he said it was unfortunate that two constitutional institutions were at daggers drawn to each other adding that they are interpreting the constitution differently.
Reading the tweet, he had posted earlier, aloud, he said the parliament had to act resolutely.
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) May 3, 2023
The minister went on to say that they were against the territorial trespassing. “Whenever the constitution was violated, the judiciary inked it”, he added.
Mr Asif said 180,000 cases were pending before the senior judiciary including 51,000 in the apex court. “I know the pain what a prisoner, pleading for bail, goes through,” he added. Their basic responsibility was, he said, deciding on the cases and not entangling in political wrangling.
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Yes, I know that is also their job but they [should set their house in order first],” he said.
He continued by saying that there were 400,000 cases pending before high courts adding that it was their time to introspect. “But look how they talk,” he added. They acquitted the accused, he said, after they had died.
The lower house should sort it adding that it was the famer of the constitution. “We will never violate our creation,” he added.
Tanveer Qamar's address
Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, a member of the government's team negotiating with the PTI, said a debate had been going on over which institution reined supreme. "The constitution provides the answer," he added.
Addressing the NA, he said positive progress had been made on various points in the ongoing talks between the government and the PTI.
— National Assembly (@NAofPakistan) May 3, 2023
He said the government wanted to solve the issues amicably with the PTI and desired success and progress on this front. “Ruling collation showed all the flexibility that was needed, and showed their respect for constitution," he added.
The minister said that it was the stance of the Pakistan of Peoples Party that political issues could be solved through dialogue. He was of the view that an election on same day was best for the country.
He said that it was the stance of the government that National Assembly, Sindh and Balochistan assemblies should not be dissolved before the time. "The government wanted to make thinks acceptable to all and this could be achieved through flexibility not through rigid stance,” he added.
He said that political leadership always showed flexibility to solve the issues.
Naveed Qamar said politics is the art of possible. "Political dialogue was started with the PTI to come out from the current political crisis in the building of the parliament," he added.
The minister said that various round of talks held with the PTI. 'The PPP had taken all the political forces on board to bring the country out of the current challenges," he added.
The parliament had the authority to make the legislation and the constitution for the welfare and to run the affairs of the country, he said..
