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ANP questions ad hocism in judiciary

Posted on: Wed February 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD  : Awami National Party (ANP) on Tuesday questioned ad hocism in the judiciary and extensions in service to the top military generals including the incumbent Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, ANP s vice president Bushra Gohar said that if Supreme Court is describing contract appointments in civil bureaucracy as unconstitutional then on what basis ad hoc judges are being appointed in the judiciary.

She also demanded that the three-year extension given to army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and other top military generals who she did not name should also end, terming these as unconstitutional. She argued that the move to stop ad hocism should not only be civil bureaucracy specific but should also extend to the judiciary and military. She was referring to the apex court s February 15 directions to the government to terminate the contracts of 15 officers, including Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) Director General Waseem Ahmad, IG Sindh Salahuddin Babar Khattak, three federal secretaries and one additional secretary.

Referring to the blasphemy laws, Gohar said that the laws framed by dictator General Zia-ul-Haq should be amended adding that if the Parliament is sovereign then it should not be influenced by threats from others.  This is the prerogative of this august house whether or not to amend any particular law, she said, adding that no body can threaten Parliament for making any legislation or amending the law. She stated that influencing Parliament not to amend any law was against the Constitution.

She in the presence of the Prime Minister, made it clear that it was inappropriate for the Prime Minister to say that he belongs to a Syed family as a reason for not amending on the blasphemy law. The Prime Minister should not give any statement which denies social justice, she added. The ANP s leader also deplored the cut in development budget saying that it should not be curtailed. She, however, welcomed the decrease in size of the federal cabinet.

Referring to the increasing incidents of violence against women in Punjab, she said that this year 8,000 cases of violence against women were registered in the province and demanded that the bill to prevent domestic violence against women should immediately be brought in the House for passage.

Courtesy : Business Recorder