Alleging that “some elements” appear to be conspiring against the incumbent government, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday emphasized that authorities have not taken any steps that can fall within the purview of contempt of court.
Addressing a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the P.M. Malik Ahmad Khan after the audio recording of an alleged conversation between former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim was released on social media, he said the Supreme Court should take notice of this tape. “Such elements want that contempt proceedings should be initiated against the government,” he said, referring to the audio in which the former CJP advises Rahim to initiate contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Punjab elections delay case.
Warning that the contents of the leaked audio could encourage divisions between institutions, he said Nisar needed to exercise great care in his conversations. “There is a perception that he [Nisar] had the main role in the conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif in 2016-17,” he said. Urging the Supreme Court to conduct a forensic analysis of all recently leaked audios that referred to judges’ conduct, he recalled that the government had formed a committee to prove the leaking of audios featuring Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Insisting that transparency was essential to ensure the rule of law and restore the public’s trust in institutions, he added: “The court will be respected when people have confidence in it.” He lamented that “ignorant” people were trying to create a confrontational atmosphere between institutions. “Political matters should not go to the court. The country has suffered whenever political matters went to the court,” he said.
Emphasizing that Parliament has sole mandate to legislate, he questioned how the Supreme Court could stop the implementation of the Practice and Procedure Bill before it had even been enacted. As both houses of Parliament have passed the bill, he maintained, it should be implemented.
Judicial reference
SAPM Khan echoed Tarar’s concerns of a conspiracy aimed at initiating contempt proceedings against the government. “After Saqib Nisar’s audio leak, the government cannot be implicated in contempt of court,” he claimed, and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the matter. If the apex court is being scandalized, he stressed, then a suo motu notice should be taken to correct this.
The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader alleged that recent audio leaks suggested a “nexus” between the former CJP, Khawaja Tariq Rahim, his wife, and CJP Umar Ata Bandial’s mother-in-law. “If the code of conduct is being violated, we have the right to move the Supreme Judicial Council,” he said, citing Article 34 of the Constitution.
Recalling that multiple political workers had been convicted in contempt of court, Khan regretted that the alleged call between Nisar and Rahim appeared to be a discussion on methods to judicially interfere in Parliament. “Voting in Parliament is the right of members. Is the Supreme Court above the Constitution?” he questioned, stressing that politicians were not “punching bags.”