POLITICAL controversies deepened further on Monday following the claims made by ex-Chief Justice Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim against former Chief Justice of Supreme Court Saqib Nisar for not allowing bail to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz before the 2018 general election.
The statement under oath of the former judge kick-started a fresh wave of allegations and counter-allegations with demands that the matter should thoroughly be investigated.
The former CJP has contradicted the allegations levelled against him, adding that the ex-chief judge of GB wanted an extension in service but he (Saqib Nisar) did not oblige.
Irrespective of the authenticity of the claims made in the affidavit by a colleague of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, the allegations levelled have serious implications for the controversy ridden politics of the country and chequered history of the judiciary and there is rationality in the demands that the issue should be probed by a neutral platform.
There are demands from both sides that based on findings of such an inquiry, concrete action should be taken against the former chief justice of GB if his claims proved false, otherwise the former CJP should be tried for influencing the process of dispensation of justice.
The issue must not be seen in the narrow context of contempt of the court as it has larger implications and connotations as the government leaders believe it was an attempt to scandalize the judiciary and taint its independent image and the opposition claiming it was part of a plot made against the elected representatives that compromised the independence of the judiciary.
It needs to be handled in a highly fair and transparent manner so as to unmask the truth and put the record straight.
This is also important in view of the fact that the allegations cast further doubt about transparency of 2018 general election. We have all along been emphasizing in these columns that there was a need to strengthen the national institutions and more so the institution of the judiciary and, therefore, all stakeholders and the politicians must not target institutions.
On their part, it is also the responsibility of these institutions to discharge their functions and responsibilities strictly within the parameters of the Constitution and the law and no attempt should be made to infringe upon the jurisdiction of others.
