The judiciary has become a stakeholder in the politics of the country and is fully engaged in facilitating the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said senior analyst Muzamal Suharwardy.
While speaking at a program on Naya Daur TV, Suharwardy said that earlier, the military establishment was a stakeholder in politics, but now the judiciary has emerged as a second stakeholder.
The analyst lauded Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa for taking a stand against the most influential personalities, like former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lt Gen (retired) Faiz Hameed. No one can dictate to CJP Isa, and he cannot be pressurized by anyone, he added.
Let's assume it’s true that security agencies are exerting pressure on judges who wrote letters to the Supreme Judicial Council complaining about alleged interference in court matters, but it is also a fact that a fragment of the judiciary has been facilitating the PTI for the last ten years, he stated.
Suharwardy said that former Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice Ameer Bhatti’s son-in-law was a minister during the PTI government, due to which PTI leaders acquired relief through court.
Similarly, the court facilitated former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi when he was asked by the then-governor to get a vote of confidence. The court suspended the letter of the then-governor and adjourned the case for three weeks so that Elahi could manage votes to win the vote of confidence, he said.
Suharwardy said that the military establishment is against the PTI, but the judiciary is in favor of the PTI. In the past, the military establishment and judiciary used to write the political script of the country together, but now differences have emerged between both stakeholders, he added.
While responding to a question, the analyst said that the judges appointed on orders of Faiz are showing their color, and it will continue for a long time.
He said that the government is not even authorized to decide the price of roti, adding that the judiciary is against a low price of roti as it will make the government popular among the masses.
To another question, Suharwardy said that the accountability court has barred PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi from making statements against state institutions, which is not appropriate, adding that everyone should have the right to freedom of speech.
In response to another question, the analyst said that negotiations between Imran Khan and his opponent political parties are impossible because Khan only wants to negotiate with the army.