Islamabad:
As May 9 incidents remain the bone of the dispute between Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) and the executive authorities, the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi seems to be determined to walk through the Tenia and maintain a balance between both sides.
A bank of three judges led by the CJP Aphridi is currently listening to government requests that seek the cancellation of the bond granted to PTI activists allegedly involved in the events of May 9.
Instead of proceeding directly to merit, the CJP Aphridi has offered the special prosecutor an alternative: consult the relevant quarters about whether the court must get rid of bail matters by establishing a three -month schedule for the courts of first instance to conclude the procedures against the accused.
He also proposed that accused people be addressed to join the investigation in the next seven days.
Special prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi requested one day to consult the proposal. The audience will resume on Tuesday (today).
However, for many legal experts, the real evidence is advanced. They believe that the Judiciary must make an additional effort to guarantee equity and due process in judgments related to May 9 events.
According to them, the courts have dropped the ball when it comes to defending due process for PTI leaders and workers.
The high -ranking politician Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, himself accused in cases related to May 9, expressed surprise that PTI’s listed persons had chosen to stay away from the procedures of the Supreme Court, without any lawyer present to offer a precise account before the judges.
“The reality is that the cases of May 9 represent a flagrant misuse of the courts to undermine the rule of law. The judges have been harassed, but the SCP under Qazi Faez Isa and later under the current CJP, has not even bothered to address their complaints,” Fawad said.
In addition, he pointed out that the anti -terrorist courts have collapsed completely after SC’s refusal to defend the rights of judges. “Now, judges have been designated with questionable reputation, and they are aggressively promoting these cases without due process.”
“I am one of the defendants. In Faisalabad, 23 witnesses have been registered in the case against me, but I have not received a formal position or the declaration of the investigating officer (IO) that led to my nomination,” he lamented.
“The situation is similar in Rawalpindi, where we do not still not realize the specific crimes we supposedly committed, since not a specific charges or a copy of the statement.”
Fawad also pointed out that with such a defective procedure, the SC directive to conclude the judgments within three months only suggests an impulse for condemnations in the style of the military court.
A debate is now gaining ground on whether CJP Afridi will succeed to maintain balance between PTI and state institutions. It is known for prioritizing arbitration and reconciliation between the parties during cases.
However, after the 26th amendment, the powers of the President of the Supreme Court have been cut. In addition, CJP Afridi is not part of the Constitutional Bank.
Although the authority to interpret the law and the Constitution still has, the Executive seems happy with its current approach, especially because it has not clogged the appointment of nominees backed by the Government for the Superior Judiciary.
Although the CJP shows the intention of accelerating the elimination of cases related to May 9, PTI has already presented a petition that seeks the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the authenticity of the events that occurred that day.
However, the CJP Aphridi confirmed the court order issued by the then president of the Superior Court of Lahore (LHC), Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, who had rejected the government’s request in search of the transfer of Judge ATC.
It has also argued that CJP Afridi is celebrating key meetings on the political situation evolving in Baluchistan. The president of the Supreme Court Lawyers Association, Mian Rouf Atta, also met with him on the same issue.
