Some federal ministers and influential cabinet members have started a campaign to convince the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to withdraw the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa to avoid dire consequences. The development came a day after the strong observations made by Supreme Court during the case hearing on Thursday.
According to a news report by journalist Hasnaat Malik published in The Express Tribune, sources in the PTI government have claimed that a few top government officials, including two federal ministers and influential lawyers wanted that the government withdraw the presidential reference in order to avoid any possible clash with the judiciary.
A federal minister, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper, “I have again advised the government to withdraw the reference in the prevailing situation.” While referring to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s reference against the then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the minister said that it was his consistent view that consequences of the presidential references were always ‘dreadful’.
A senior lawyer said that he had already advised the high-ups concerned not to pursue the presidential reference against the SC judge, otherwise, its fate might be similar to that of Musharraf’s reference against former CJP Chaudhry. He believed that the government lost its case after former attorney general Anwar Mansoor Khan’s statement against members of 10-judge full court on February 18.
A senior PTI lawyer, who witnessed the court proceedings on Thursday, said: “Justice Muneeb Akhtar’s observations reflected that the reference will not be sustainable. It would be the best for Prime Minister Imran Khan to withdraw the reference on the advice of the incumbent Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan.”
The report further claimed that Prime Minister Imran will never take decision about withdrawal of reference without consultation from the ‘relevant quarters’.
According to a news report by journalist Hasnaat Malik published in The Express Tribune, sources in the PTI government have claimed that a few top government officials, including two federal ministers and influential lawyers wanted that the government withdraw the presidential reference in order to avoid any possible clash with the judiciary.
A federal minister, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper, “I have again advised the government to withdraw the reference in the prevailing situation.” While referring to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s reference against the then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the minister said that it was his consistent view that consequences of the presidential references were always ‘dreadful’.
A senior lawyer said that he had already advised the high-ups concerned not to pursue the presidential reference against the SC judge, otherwise, its fate might be similar to that of Musharraf’s reference against former CJP Chaudhry. He believed that the government lost its case after former attorney general Anwar Mansoor Khan’s statement against members of 10-judge full court on February 18.
A senior PTI lawyer, who witnessed the court proceedings on Thursday, said: “Justice Muneeb Akhtar’s observations reflected that the reference will not be sustainable. It would be the best for Prime Minister Imran Khan to withdraw the reference on the advice of the incumbent Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan.”
The report further claimed that Prime Minister Imran will never take decision about withdrawal of reference without consultation from the ‘relevant quarters’.