Lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferi has said that when former chief justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa did not defend Justice Qazi Faez Isa when a reference was filed against him by the then-government, it became clear that there was little room for discussion amongst the judges, and they had to resort to writing letters to each other.
Speaking during an appearance on Naya Daur TV ‘s flagship show Khabar Say Aagay, Jaferii said it was nearly impossible to comment on the law in this country without remaining within the four corners of the law itself, adding that the whole procedure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill’s case was obsolete. The leader got relief within a month despite the fact that there were so many accusations against him.
On the other hand, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had to go to jail over her involvement with the Calibri Font case and she was not given any such a relief, Jaferi said, adding that MNA Ali Wazir was also not provided with such an opportunity.
According to him, some people are linking Gill’s release with a reported meeting between PTI chairman Imran Khan and COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa. “We are in a very tricky situation because of Imran Khan’s interview with Kamran Khan, as now the one who is getting the extension will be confused as to whether or not he even wants it, because both PTI and PDM are willing to give extensions,” he said.
Speaking in the programme, journalist Amber Rahim Shamsi said that it has been over a year and Ali Wazir has still not been released, while Gill was released within a month. “This reveals the priorities of the courts,” she added. Wazir has been in jail since December 2020, and has had four treason cases registered against him, she said, adding that when he would get bail in one of the cases, another would be filed against him. “When we compare the cases of Ali Wazir and Shahbaz Gill, we see that Wazir has been treated unfairly.”
She said that it isn’t just the PTI chief who is solely responsible for the division in the judiciary, but some other people are also responsible as indicated by Justice Isa in a letter. “Imran Khan has taken a U-Turn; it remains to be seen if Maryam Nawaz will remain steadfast on her position or if she will remain silent like last time,” she said.
Dr. Aqdas Afzal also chimed in and said that previously the country was heading towards economic disaster because of the political disaster, and now it seems like we are heading for a political disaster because of the economic disaster. “After the floods, I’m seeing a big economic crisis in our future,” he said.
He said that the country was on the brink of many disasters, and stability could only come through political and economic stability. Afzal also said that the solution was not immediate elections, because if say the result was not in favor of the PTI, and Imran Khan refuses to accept the results, then where will the country go, he asked. “With how divided our state institutions are right now, the only solution is political stability.”
