Two judges verdict vindicates bench-fixing narrative: Maryam

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz said on Monday that the questions raised by two Supreme Court judges regarding powers of the chief justice vindicated her party’s ‘bench-fixing’ narrative.

Chairing a meeting of the party spokespersons at her Lahore residence, she said: “If the constitution of the [Supreme Court] bench is not fair, then how will the decision be considered fair?”

In an unusual development in the top court, two judges from the five-member larger bench — hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s petition over the postponement of elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — raised questions over the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), saying the apex court “cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice”.

In a 27-page detailed ruling, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel pointed out that it is important “to revisit the power of ‘one-man show’ enjoyed by the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan”.

The PMLN leader said Monday’s decision of Justice Mansoor Ali and Justice Mandokhel was a victory of party’s narrative about bench fixing. Maryam asked the party members to expose Imran Khan’s facilitators in the judiciary with full force. Her directives were endorsed in the party’s statement which read: “Unfair, vindictive decisions and testimonies against Nawaz Sharif decided to be brought before the public.”

According to a statement issued by the PMLN, all the “facts about Imran Khan and his facilitators should be brought before the public”. Maryam said the violation of the Constitution and law in Nawaz Sharif’s trial should also be exposed. “Evidence of injustice with Nawaz Sharif is now surfacing,” she added.

It was agreed in the spokespersons meeting that the facts of corruption and looting of Imran Khan through his facilitators and their tools should also be brought forward without covering up anyone, party sources added. The meeting reached consensus that “the truth should be told to the nation without any pretensions; the characters and their deeds should also be brought forth.”

Sources said Maryam Nawaz, while addressing the meeting, said that Imran Khan had become the past of Pakistan, while former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the PMLN was the future of Pakistan.

The party position and its narrative were also reviewed in the meeting and it was considered to convey the facts regarding the party policies to the people.

“How the country was destroyed in the last four years, the people should be told,” Maryam Nawaz said. She said Imran Khan wanted to divert the public attention from his cases including Tyrian, foreign funding, Toshakhana and others. She said irrefutable evidence was present in all these cases.

She said that in the last four years, the economy had been destroyed and people become poor. She added that during the last four years, Imran Khan failed to fulfil his promises including providing one crore jobs and five million houses.

Maryam Nawaz said the ten-point agenda given by Imran Khan was another pack of lies and was being repeated under a new name. “Instead of eliminating corruption in 90 days, corruption in Pakistan increased by 14 levels during Imran Khan’s tenure,” Maryam concluded.