THERE are clear chances of a showdown as the parties forming coalition government have announced to hold a protest rally in front of the Supreme Court building on the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad on Monday (15 May) against, what they see, as highly partisan attitude of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial after a Bench of the court led by him gave blanket relief to the PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on charges of corruption. In a hard-hitting news conference after a leadership meeting of the alliance that was also attended by PML(N) supremo Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif through a video link, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman alleged that the country’s Constitution had been put at risk for the sake of the PTI leader. The decision of the PDM was also endorsed by the PPP saying it will participate in the protest rally against the top court behaviour. The Federal Cabinet, in a rare move, condemned the ‘extraordinary intervention’ of the CJP in the arrest IK terming it ‘misconduct’ as the arrest was carried out in compliance with the Constitution, law, and legal procedures in the “open and shut case of corruption and corrupt practices”.
In the past, the opposition parties have been organizing rallies and sit-ins against governments of the time but it would be, perhaps, for the first time that the ruling parties would be staging a sit-in against the Supreme Court, which shows seriousness of the situation and the extreme level of polarization in the country. It is regretted that despite calls by saner voices to exercise restraint so as to restore the much-needed normalcy in the country, no one is ready to show flexibility in the hardened positions. The country plunged into darkness following the arrest of the former Prime Minister in the Al Qadir Trust case, which should otherwise have been a routine process in a nation with deep respect for rule of law but the issue was made a ‘red line’ and severe reaction was shown by the party workers and activists. As if what already happened was not enough, Imran Khan has warned that severe reaction would come again and the same law and order situation would be created if he was arrested again. This should be seen in the backdrop of a statement made by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah who hinted at the arrest of the PTI chief on or any day after May 17. The court has granted Imran Khan extensive bail in a number of cases but fresh arrest remains a possibility, especially when cases have also been registered in connection with the violence that erupted after his arrest in the Trust case when official buildings were widely targeted by protestors. As PDM would be staging a protest demonstration on May 15, the Supreme Court would also be resuming hearing of the election case after passage of the deadline of May 14, which was appointed as polling day for the Punjab Assembly by the apex court. There are chances that the court could penalize some government personalities for contempt of the court whereas parliament has already issued strict warnings that there would be reaction to every action. Sentiments are already running high as evident from the remarks made by the leaders of the coalition parties and the alliance plans to issue a charter of demands pertaining to excesses committed by the superior judiciary and its undue involvement in politics during its protest demonstration. The week beginning from Monday could also see ferocity at its peak as, according to prominent lawyer and politician Latif Khosa, the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case against amendments in the accountability law by parliament, would blast the changes in the law and should that happen the confrontation between the Supreme Court and Parliament would assume dangerous dimensions. We have been emphasizing in these columns that the deadlock can be resolved provided all institutions and parties commit themselves to the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution. The repeated allegations of moulding laws and rewriting the Constitution to suit the political agenda of a political party must be addressed instantly and seriously to save the sanctity and reputation of the judiciary. All institutions and parties must realize that each act of confrontation adds to the economic woes of the country and its people and this was once again highlighted during the last few days when rupee-dollar parity fell to all time low of about Rs 300 a dollar but the rupee gained its strength after signs of improvement in the situation.
