Rhetoric of constitution and the dubious role of the Lahore High Court

Guest blog by: Aminah Bhutto
Posted by: Jarri Mirza

President Asif Ali Zardari's address today (25 November 2009) to the party workers brought a new debate on electronic media. This new debate is part of the smear campaign against Asif Ali Zardari which was started since PPP came into power last year.

Media's new rhetoric is that the President of Pakistan can't address a public procession . As a party worker I want to ask them why this sacred constitution is forgotten when judges and military generals make political statements . Here is an example of the misconduct by Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (an ex-servant of Nawaz Sharif, not very much different from another servant Rafiq Tarar). Chief (Cheap) Justice Lahore High Court in an address in July 2009 pointed towards Asif Ali Zardari as a murderer of his late wife and our beloved leader Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. He suggested that government of the day is not interested in finding her murderers!. CJ Sharif's statement is not only unconstitutional but also unethical but nobody cared. Not at least the so called guardians of law and justice in our electronic media.

Govt. knows Bhutto’s assassins: Lahore High Court CJ

Lahore, 18 July 2009 : While the UN commission is in the country to probe former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif’s shocking claims that the government is aware about all the facts regarding the murder, has raised questions over the PPP-led government’s intentions.

Addressing the members of the Islamabad District Bar Association, Sharif said the government is aware about the facts behind the killing, and that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) should quiz the government rather than making an appeal before the Chief Justice.

“Everyone knows who is responsible for the Karsaz tragedy and the killers of Benazir. The Chief Justice cannot do everything,” The Daily Times quoted Sharif, as saying.

The three-member UN Inquiry Commission arrived in Islamabad earlier this week and met President Asif Ali Zardari to begin a sixth-month investigation into Bhutto’s killing.

The UN probe team includes Chilean Ambassador to UN, Heraldo Munoz, former attorney general of Indonesia, Marzuki Darusman, and a veteran of the Irish National Police, Peter Fitzgerald. (ANI) Source

Tailpiece

LHC rejects by- polls petitions
Wednesday, November 25, 2009

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has rejected the intra court petitions requesting to organize by-polls in Punjab.

A Division Bench of LHC rejected the petition filed by President Awami Muslim League Shiekh Rasheed Ahmed and other candidates running in the by-polls on the seats of National and Punjab assemblies lying vacant in the province, endorsing the earlier-given verdict given by a single member bench of the same court, of delaying bye-election in the province.

The bench also directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to consult Punjab government on rescheduling the bye-polls in the province in the light of single bench’s verdict.

Meanwhile, Shiekh Rasheed has announced to challenge the verdict of Lahore High Court and rejection of his petition against it in Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Talking to newsmen here after the hearing, AML chief claimed that the by-polls would be held in 2010. Source