Fight for superiority continues…

The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) led coalition government has got the contempt of court bill passed in the parliament despite hints from the Supreme Court indicating its displeasure.

With the signature of President Asif Ali Zardari, it has become a law before Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf submits his reply to the apex court in the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) implementation case.

Certainly, the government was in haste to ensure that the newly elected premier is not prematurely removed in contempt of court charges, likewise Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Besides keenly interested in smooth transition of power, the PPP leadership thinks that the completion of its tenure is its constitutional right.

The appointment of Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) indicates the seriousness of ruling party for holding elections. In the next phase, the government along with opposition has to appoint an independent interim setup.

The newly passed bill will only give exemption to public office holders from the mischief of contempt in exercise of power and performance of functions. It also gives suspension of a sentence during the pendency of an appeal with the court.

The million dollar question is that will the new law save Raja Pervez Ashraf’s post. The ruling party is of the opinion that they will not able to perform their duties if they were not given protection.

Although majority of lawmakers seconded the ruling party, the opposition termed it a black law that would give the government a license for abusing its authority.

However, the court is not pleased with the said bill. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that the Constriction empowers the Supreme Court to slay any law which is in conflict with law of the land.

In his view, the doctrine of Supremacy of parliament is out of step with the times. In the present scenario, the Supreme Court should review the situation entirely.

A few section of society start thinking that after coming out of one sort of extreme where the executive dictated to the judiciary the country is moving towards another extreme where the judiciary dictates both the legislators and executive.

There are clear-cut indication of the confrontation between the judiciary and executive on one side and the legislature on the other unless measures are taken to remove the perception.

The court should have review the situation whether its actions are strengthening or weakening the system.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=28715

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 12 2012. Filed under 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.