A chance for the Supreme Court to retrieve erstwhile esteem

A chance for the Supreme Court to retrieve erstwhile esteem

A common complaint against the Supreme Court is that it seems to have focused its rage on the democratic government, even though its rulings have been legally sound and powerful. At the same time people say that the apex court spares the far more powerful military establishment.

Whatsoever truth is in the complaint, one can hope that this perception would be righted, as the apex court has fix a date to hear a petition against the powerful army.

Asghar Khan, the former leader of Tehreek-e-Istaqlal, had filed a petition before the Supreme Court, some 15 years ago against the ISI’s (Inter Services Intelligence) alleged tampering in the political affairs.

The apex court, on February 29, will take up the case, whose contents have been printed and reprinted, broadcasted and rebroadcasted, in the national media over the years.

According to the petition, the intelligence agency, the powerful institute of the county, used a slush fund to pay various amounts of national exchequer to political parties to make an alliance by the name of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI).

Asghar Khan, in his application, further alleged that this was done in 1990, in an attempt to decline the PPP victory in general elections. It leveled charges against the then chief of army staff and ISI head.

Interestingly, this case will raise questions about the role of the current opposition party, the PML-N, and how it has, gained from army generosity, at least in the past.

Lately, the PML-N chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif is one of the main backers of the apex court’s trend towards judicial activism and may find itself in the wharf. This petition could practically be very harmful for the PML-N, particularly in an election year.

Considering the upcoming situation, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA), Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan requested the apex court to extend the span the of the petition and probe all of the ISI’s payments to politicians, not just those made in 1990s.

However, the apex court would be wise to take his suggestion because a hearing on this matter could focus some much-required attention on how the establishment interferes in the county’s political circles.

If Supreme Court succeeded to reveal the real culprits in the case, it will not only act as deterrent for future interventions but also retrieve it previous esteem.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jan 27 2012. Filed under National, Opinion, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.