950807

Gilani flays govt for

tarnishing image

of judiciary

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Former law minister Syed Ifithar Hussain Gilani, who is also a prominent PML leader, has criticized the government for tarnishing the image of the superior judiciary which has led to challenging the elevation of judges to the superior courts by the common man.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday he said the appointments of certain judges is being questioned openly and called upon the superior judiciary not to show so much weakness in the face of this onslaught as the superior can check this onslaught. He said the credibility of the judiciary is being tarnished in a systematic manner which will utlimately be not in the interest of the country. He said according to divine justice those who indulge in such a canner have to face worst king of consequences ultimately. He said the latest onslaught on the judiciary is the forced leave of justice Qurban Sadiq Ikram.

He said the superior judiciary should assume its age old role of being independent and above all considerations. Once even the giants of lawyers used to shiver while appearing before the higher judiciary.

Gilani said we must bow before the rules, the law and the constitution. Any deviation from any law or rules is not in the interest of the country nor this government. He said there is a procedure for the appointment of judges which should be followed. The sinior rule should be adhered to. He said there is bound to be resentment when some one is by passed. He pointed out that if a judge is not fit for holding his job then there is a set procedure also. The case should be referred to the judicial council but a judge with an unblemished record should not be penalized.

Asked about the appointments made so far, he said let bygones be bygones, but no further measures in this regard should taken.

Gilani said the prime minister has once again made an offer of compromise and accommodation but she has been making such statements in the past also and these have never been matched with actions. A new harassment campaign against the leader of the opposition has been started implicating his elderly father and even women and children. Under these circumsstances how there can be a compromise? the opposition must not be expected to show a compromising spirit under these circumstances and the total responsibility for the increasing polarization rests with the government. He said "we do not say that you step down and allow the opposition to take over." The opposition must be shown due respect and allowed to function within the democratic norms in a civilised society.

Talking about the Karachi situation, he said it is very bad and unfortunately the dialogue which was started with great effort has failed. This failure he feared is taking the country to a disaster. If anything untoward happens to Karachi, the rest of the country would not be in peace, he stressed.

He said if Benazir Bhutto is serious in having a working relationship with the opposition, than the parliament must be taken into confidence about the Karachi situation. Contentious issues cannot be solved through Press conferences or deliberations on the television. These have to be discussed threadbare on the floor of the national assembly or the senate so that the nation is aware of the real situation. He said he is against any secret meeting of the parliament. He said a joint sitting of the parliament should be summoned at the earliest to tackle the Karachi situation.

Asked about the talks between the leader of the opposition, Mian Nawaz Sharif, and the MQM leader, Altaf Hussain in London during his presence there, Syed Iftikhar Gilani said the main theme of the talks was its outcome and it was the consensus that if the talks failed it would be disaster and there would certainly be a spill over. So far as the all parties conference on Karachi proposed by the PML is concerned, he said it was postponed to make the dialogues a success, but now it appears that a fresh effort will have to be made in this regard.

Asked about the opposition's agenda for the coming National Assembly session, Syed Iftikhar Gilani said that besides the routine business the opposition will certainly raise the Karachi issue, the price spiral following the new budget and the floods. He said the opposition has not been contacted so far by the speaker or the government to discuss the agenda for the forthcoming session.