Consciences only awakened after their monopoly was curtailed: Khawaja Asif on SC judges' resignations

Islamabad [Pakistan], November 14 (ANI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday criticised two Supreme Court judges for resigning after the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying their "consciences only awakened after their monopoly was curtailed."

According to Dawn, Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah stepped down hours after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the amendment into law.

Asif, speaking in the National Assembly, accused the judges of having "selective amnesia", claiming they had "forgotten their past" and were now positioning themselves as "guardians of democracy".

Amid the opposition's chants of "kon bachayega Pakistan; Imran Khan, Imran Khan", echoed through the House, Asif recounted what he described as the judiciary's historical role in decisions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Citing Dawn, he referred to the Panama Papers proceedings, saying former chief justice Saqib Nisar had created two benches that declared Nawaz ineligible.

He added that another bench was later formed to determine the duration of the disqualification, followed by a separate bench that ruled an ineligible person could not head a political party.

Dawn reported Asif as saying the same group of judges presided over "almost every political lawsuit" and that during the period when "kangaroo courts were being formed", no one expressed shame over Nawaz's treatment.

Asif criticised the recent resignations, saying the judges "were serving in SC and high courts back then; now they're writing poetry and issuing political statements", referring to a poem included in Justice Shah's resignation letter.

He argued their "conscience awakened because their monopoly in SC was curtailed," asserting that the amendment sought to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution.

He also accused the opposition of prioritising individuals over the Constitution, saying their slogan, "Khan nahi tou Pakistan nahi," proved they stood with one person rather than the constitutional framework.

As reported by Dawn, Asif further alleged that the opposition had become "protectors of terrorists" for not "condemning" recent attacks in Wana and Islamabad.

In his resignation letter to the president, Justice Shah described the 27th Amendment as "a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan", saying it "dismantles the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugates the judiciary to executive control, and strikes at the very heart of our constitutional democracy".

He wrote that the amendment had "crippled judicial independence and integrity", adding that its impact would leave "deep institutional scars".

Justice Minallah, in his resignation letter, wrote that he had sworn to uphold "the Constitution", not "a constitution".

He said that before the amendment was passed, he had written to the chief justice outlining his concerns, but that "against a canvas of selective silence and inaction, those fears have now come to be".

He stated the Constitution he swore to uphold was "no more", adding that what remained was "a mere shadow". (ANI)

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