RECORDER RECPORT

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry Wednesday said the insult of the public mandate is the biggest contempt.

Talking to the media persons outside the Supreme Court, the minister said that the legal and constitutional experts as well as general public have rejected the disqualification of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He further said that questions raised in the review petitions by the Sharif family are very clear. He was of the view that Nawaz Sharif has the right of fair trial like every other Pakistani and he cannot be denied this right.

Chaudhry said that review petitions were filed to undo the mistakes in the disqualification verdict. “We are not seeking any favour, we only demand Nawaz Sharif’s right to be respected,” he pointed out.

The minister said that Nawaz Sharif implemented the Supreme Court’s verdict and relinquished the power for the sake of respect of institutions, but he has the right of justice.

He said that a mistake should be corrected and further errors should not be made in response to it. If the judges of the apex court could be restored due to a long march then why Nawaz Sharif’s appeal can not be reviewed, Chaudhry questioned.

He further said that they are not guilty of the contempt of court and only appealing to the apex court. Those who violated the law should also be tried rather than trying only those who made it, he added.

On the other hand, criticizing the Sharif family, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that filing review petitions is only an attempt to distract the Supreme Court from implementation of the July 28 verdict.

He said that the appeal is only intended to delay the filing of references by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which have been given a deadline of six months of doing so. He further alleged that the NAB is siding with the Sharif family.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan had said during proceedings that this was just the tip of iceberg on which the decision was given. Fawad said that the case went to court since PML-N had refused to draft the terms of reference, he added.

He said that judges of the Supreme Court had remarked that there cannot be separate laws for the poor and the affluent in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Naeemul Haque alleged that the NAB is using tactics to delay the filing of references against the Sharif family. He further claimed that the Prime Minister Secretariat in-charge is still accepting the orders from Nawaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, President Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the Sharif family is scared of reopening of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.

Talking to media persons outside the Supreme Court, Rashid said that the entire Sharif family was scared of the Hudiabiya Paper Mills case since Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and their children were involved in it. The NAB will have to give a verdict regarding the case in a week or 10 days, he added.