Judiciary created constitutional crisis: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has alleged that the judiciary time and again interferes in functioning of the Parliament, creating a constitutional crisis in the country.

“In Pakistan a storm in a teacup is being converted into full-blown constitutional crisis,” he said while addressing the National Assembly, adding neither the prime minister, the Speaker, he himself, nor any member sitting in this House is responsible for the same.

“This is the crisis of the judiciary, by the judiciary and for the judiciary,” Bilawal Bhutto said, and questioned the opposition leader whether he (Bilawal) snatched symbol from him, or termed the party’s elections incorrect.

He said it was judiciary which said their party (PTI) committed rigged elections due to which they could not remain a party and could not be given their symbol.

“This decision of the judiciary gave such a benefit to a dead party having no direction for election campaign that it got mobilised,” he said, adding such a decision at time of elections, also had political impacts, he said. Now, he said another political decision was given which they (PTI) did not seek or ask for. “They [PTI] did not even seek the decision, and the Constitution also does not permit the same that they are given reserved seats,” Bilawal said whose remarks created bad taste in presence of Imam of Masjid-e-Nabawi (SAW) Sheikh Dr Salah Bin Muhammad Al Budairand and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Saeed Al Maliky in the VVIP gallery.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Umar Ayub Khan took strong exception to remarks of Bilawal in presence of esteemed guest from Saudi Arabia. “I also wanted to speak on many issues but it is matter of honouring our esteemed guest who is sitting in VVIP gallery,” he said.

He said despite the fact Bilawal remained country’s foreign minister, he delivered such a speech. “He might uttered such remarks after taking dictation from some parade ground,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bilawal went on to say that unless the country is run according to the Constitution and as per democratic norms and institutions do not work within the constitutional ambit, the government and institutions could not come upto expectations of masses.

He said this city [Islamabad] was developed with the purpose that the government and its machinery should resolve problems of public. But, he regretted that since the time this capital was raised, it could not achieve objectives because sometime politicians starts fighting with each, some General leads coup, and now there is politics of hatred and division which was never seen in county’s history. “Because of this situation, we also cannot resolve problems of people and law and order is deteriorating and we are abusing each other on television screens,” he said, adding there was need resolve issues while doing politics.

He said that the nation particularly the youth was closely watching situation in Bangladesh.

He said there is an institution which time and again interferes in this institution (Parliament). He said that country’s judiciary like Arshad Nadeem has also broken world records.

Taking a jibe at the judiciary, he said Pakistan’s judiciary is so competent and successful that not only they run courts, construct dams, give justice, but also compete price hike by determining prices of samosas and tomatos.

“Masha Allah our judiciary is so competent that no judiciary in rest of the world can compete it.”

He said they were thankful to judiciary that they have to struggle for years till the year 2024. “The judiciary gave justice to this extent that Bhutto’s trial was not fair but also said that it cannot take any step to correct the history,” he said.

“We can come upto expectations of masses when we engage with each other and reach bare minimum consensus on national issues,” he said. Chief if his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman, during his speech, observed that political parties should refrain from taking up political differences in presence of Saudi dignitaries. “I myself welcome our distinguished guests and apologise for the bad atmosphere created in the House,” he said.