News Analysis |
The ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked some very interesting questions from the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar. Nawaz Sharif was speaking to media outside the accountability court when he raised questions over the Supreme Court’s directive allowing Gen Pervez Musharraf to file his nomination papers to contest July 25 general elections – on the condition that he would appear in person before the court on June 13 in Lahore to attend the court hearing.
The CJP was hearing a petition on June 7, 2018, filed by Musharraf on June 05, 2015, regarding alleged rejection of his nomination forms for the upcoming general elections. According to media reports, the former military ruler had filed his nomination papers to contest for a National Assembly seat – NA-250 Karachi (South).
But the returning officer rejected his papers on the grounds “that he had held in abeyance and suspended the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007, detained and removed a number of superior court judges and publicly insulted then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry”. The CJP, however, gave another opportunity, on Thursday, to the former Army Chief Pervez Musharraf to return back to Pakistan and appear before the court.
Nawaz Sharif was speaking to media outside the accountability court when he raised questions over the Supreme Court’s directive allowing Gen Pervez Musharraf to file his nomination papers to contest July 25 general elections.
The CJP said that the former President Pervez Musharraf will not be arrested if he arrives in Pakistan to file his nomination papers for the upcoming general elections. “How could the chief justice extend such an offer to someone accused of high treason?” Sharif alleged.
Nawaz Sharif also asked if there was any law in the country which empowers the CJP to issue such directives. “Is there any law which can empower someone sitting in a high office to give assurance to a military dictator who is facing a high treason case, the Akbar Bugti murder case, the Benazir murder case, judges’ detention case and was involved in Lal Masjid operation?,” Nawaz angrily asked.
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Nawaz Sharif further mentioned his own case when he was disqualified from the same court for concealing assets and making false statements. “On the other hand, the same court disqualified me from holding office in my own political party, removed me from the office of prime minister, and barred me from contesting elections for life on the charge that I had not received a salary from my son,” Sharif said.
“This is something which is beyond my understanding, and the nation is also surprised as to how the court may relax rules for one accused of high treason,” he further said.