Islamabad:
As the fate of the dozens of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) legislators hangs in the balance, the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has taken into account a letter written by the opposition leader, Omar Ayub, who urged the main judge of the country to guarantee the right judgments in the cases of May 9.
The CJP chose not to address the matter through judicial proceedings. Instead, he decided to meet Ayub personally in Peshawar, and the meeting is expected to take place on Friday.
However, the sources have revealed that a verdict in a case related to May 9, in which Omar Ayub is accused, could soon be announced by the Anti -Terrorist Court (ATC) in Faisalabad. The opposition leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz is also appointed in the same case and has written a letter to the CJP on Wednesday.
In case of Ayub’s conviction, the proposed meeting may not move on.
In addition to the internal agitation, a PTI lawyer expressed his frustration with the legal strategy of the party, or the lack of it, in the management of the cases of May 9. He pointed out that the party should have played the first information reports (FIR) before and questioned the order of the Supreme Court that ordered the ATCs to conclude these judgments within four months.
This would not be the first time that CJP Aphridi has committed to political figures. Previously, he has met with government and opposition leaders to discuss judicial reforms. He had also sent a letter from the founder of PTI Imran Khan to the Constitutional Bank Committee of SC for reconsideration.
While the CJP focuses on accelerating judgments related to May 9 events, legal experts point out that it lacks constitutional authority to take suo motu measures on PTI complaints. According to the procedure, you can only instruct your staff to present the Ayub Chart to the CB Committee, headed by Judge Aminuddin Khan, for a possible judicial review.
In April, instead of deciding dozens of supplications pending bail by merit, a three -member bank led by the CJP Afridi ordered ATCs to complete the evidence of May 9 within four months. Since then, PTI leaders have alleged that the SC is badly used against opposition figures.
The main lawyers argue that the Apex Court seems to have not learned from the episode of the Panama papers, where to establish rigid deadlines led to the perception that the Judiciary facilitated the sentences of members of the Sharif family.
In its detailed four -page “appeal”, Omar Ayub lamented alleged irregularities in the trial procedures. The ATC are expected to be forced by the instructions of the Apex Court, to conclude all the procedures of the May 9 for the first week of August.
According to Ayub, the integrity of the judicial process of Pakistan is under a serious threat, since these judgments, destined to defend justice, have become tools for political persecution.
According to Omar, the integrity of the judicial process of Pakistan is under serious threat, since these judgments, which are supposed to exemplify justice, have become a means of political persecution. “The ATCs in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha and other cities listen to cases related to May 9 with a speed and way that shocks the awareness of any impartial observer.
“The audiences begin early in the morning and extend until late at night; in fact, it is reliably informed that in some cases the procedures continue until 2:00 am to 3:00 am.” This is crushed justice and the justice buried under the weight of exhaustion, coercion and hurry, “he added.
He affirmed that such schedule was not precedents in the annals of the Pakistani jurisprudence, since it ignored the most basic principles of a fair judgment, including the right of the accused to a significant opportunity to prepare and present a defense, and the solemn obligation of the Judiciary to carry out judgments with dignity, transparency and concern.
He also referred to the motto of Pakistan’s Supreme Court that justice should not only be done, but must be manifest and undoubtedly. He regretted that during the trials of May 9, this cardinal principle had been systematically violated.
Omar said that leadership, workers and supporters of the PTI were unfairly involved through a process that seemed to be bad faith and politically motivated. Police reports and prosecution lack credible evidence and are plagued by procedural irregularities, he added.
He also narrated numerous cases of fiscal overreach and miscarriage, including the manufacture of FIR, coercive interrogation tactics and selective record of cases against opposition figures, all undermining the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system.
Referring to the right to the election lawyer, he said that a fundamental right enshrined in article 10 of the Constitution has been trampled. He said that the ATC frequently denies the postponements and, in many cases, threaten or proceed to appoint state advice without the consent of the accused.
“This practice not only violates constitutional guarantees, but also violates just internationally recognized judgment standards. Including those established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 10) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 14), to which Pakistan is part of the part,” he wrote.
“If these essays are allowed to continue in current conditions, with the judicial reputation and the confidence of the people will be irrevocable.”
