Rizwan Haider Razi

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Musharraf to be tried for treason: Nawaz Sharif

Posted by Rizwan Haider at 09:25 0 comments

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to initiate a high treason case against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf for subverting the constitution of Pakistan; it was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the National Assembly on Monday.

Nawaz Sharif said that the former president had committed treason by abrogating the Constitution and he should be tried under the law. He said Musharraf would be tried for imposing a state of emergency in the country in 2007 while also suspending the Constitution.
It is pertinent to mention here that in Pakistan maximum penalty for treason is death. The government “firmly subscribes to the view that the holding in abeyance of the constitution on 3rd November 2007, constituted an act of high treason,” Sharif said in parliament, reading from a statement simultaneously presented to the Supreme Court. “Musharraf will have to answer for his guilt before the court,” he said.

Opposition leaders from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) extended their support to the prime minister. Leader of Opposition Khurshid Shah welcomed the prime minister's speech and said that the pictures of all past dictators should be removed from the parliament premises. Shah Mehmood Qurehi said tht PTI believe on the supremacy of law and it would support any law which would strengthen democratic process in the country.

MEhmood Achakzai head of PakhtunKhawa Milli Party said that all the institutions must work within their limits and supremacy of law should be top priority of all. Leader of the Awami National Party Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that people have given heavy mandate to Muslim League Nawaz, now it should be prime responsibility of Nawaz Sharif to redress the grievances of the masses, he said that Prime Minister should refrain from indulging into the matters which could create confrontation among the institution and put focus to solve the problems of the people for which people have given votes to PMLN.

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Tuesday 18 June 2013

From convicted culprit to Senator, where is the supremacy of law?

Posted by Rizwan Haider at 07:53 0 comments

Unlike the past, it is being considered that today judiciary in Pakistan is independent and very powerful institution. Judiciary has taken many historic Judgments like convicting former Prime Ministers and charging Former Dictator. After all that hard accountability still there are few examples of corruption and wrong doings that a common man would bite his finger that how it happened.

It would be surprising for the readers that a person was convicted 14 years in prison on corruption cases, but he has become senator in the Senate of Pakistan. In 2000, Former Federal Communication Ministers Azam Khan Hoti was convicted by an accountability court Attock on charges of accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and sentenced him to 10-year rigorous imprisonment. He was also fined Rs 15 million, failing which he would have to undergo further 2 years in prison. Judge Chaudhry Mazhar Minhas ordered the confiscation of Azam Hoti’s property in Lahore which includes a commercial plot in Chuburji, 6 shops in Lehri, a shop in Model Town, his share in a flat in Model Town, two cars and Rs 7.7 million invested in Super Engineers (Pvt) Limited. The former minister was also disqualified from holding public office or applying for any financial loan and advances from any financial institutions sponsored by the government. Azam Hoti was also tried by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for two cases of corruption and misuse of authority. The accountability court has already sentenced him to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment in cases of corruption and corrupt practices in the Motorway reference and for awarding contracts for the installation of emergency telephone systems without fulfilling the normal procedures.

This scribe came to know about all this when wife of Azam Hoti, Shamim Kiyani filed a writ petition in the Islamabad high Court against Azam Hoti. She submitted file copy of the court vide order dated 27-9-2010, in which accountability bench of Lahore High Court dismissed the appeal of the Azam Hoti. She said that no court of country has suspended the order of the High Court of Lahore and he is convicted of the law and fugitive from law. She said more thee NAB KPK has the attested copy for the court action but they also allowed a convict and fugitive to set in the senate of Pakistan.

She nominated Election Commission of Pakistan, Senate of Pakistan and Chairman National Accountability Bureau Islamabad. In reply to Court ECP made it clear that ECP was not aware that Azam Hoti was convicted by NAB. Court also has directed to NAB to appear before the court with the relevant record. It is pertinent to mention here that former Chief Minister of KPK Amir Haider Hoti is son of Azam Hoti and he played a vital role to make his father Senator from Awami National Party. While talking to this scribe Shamim Kiyani appealed to the Chief Justice of Supreme Court Pakistan to take sou motu action on this serious matter.