Marriyum lashes out at former CJP

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar had not only disrespected himself but also his institution with his controversial verdicts and conduct which somehow indicated his direct involvement in the politics.

“It is not Maryam Nawaz who has disrespected Saqib Nisar, rather he has brought dishonour upon himself. He has admitted his meetings with Imran Khan, who after coming into power looted the national exchequer ruthlessly and plunged the country into an economic quagmire causing high inflation and poverty,” the minister said in a news conference.

“It was not merely an allegation as the former chief justice had himself admitted to holding meetings with Imran Khan and nobody had denied it so far, she added, daring Saqib Nisar to respond to those allegations in the courts as he better knew what the law stated in that regard.

Saqib Nisar very well knew that what was being said about him was true, she said, referring to his reported interview with a private TV channel in which, according to the minister, the former CJP had stated that he had not declared Imran Khan as a “full honest and righteous person.”

There is no need to make a hue and cry now and if you think you are being defamed then respond to these allegations in the court, she said while alleging that Saqib Nisar was directly involved in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’’s campaign for the 2018 general election.

She said there was no such example in the country’s judicial history that a chief justice was directly involved in politics and exercised his power beyond his mandate.

“No law in Pakistan allowed the former chief justice to meet former prime minister Imran Khan who had severely harmed the national interests and diplomatic relations of Pakistan with the friendly countries during his rule,” she said.

Marriyum said the former chief justice had compromised the future of upcoming generations with his conduct and controversial decisions.

To gain some vested interests, she alleged, he had given a verdict in the case related to the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI), which ultimately led to the suspension of its operations causing severe problems for kidney patients.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif found the PKLI closed during his visit, she added.

The minister said the former CJP’s conduct showed that he was somehow part of the nexuses led by Imran Khan, which ultimately resulted into an economic turmoil, extreme inflation, unemployment, and poverty.