GDA announces to oppose judicial reforms bill

ISLAMABAD: The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has announced to oppose the judicial reforms bill aiming to curtail the suo motu powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), ARY News reported on Tuesday.

A GDA lawmaker Saira Bano, while speaking on the National Assembly’s floor, lambasted the incumbent government and said that “after destroying the country’s  economy, now they [government] are diverting the attention to the shortcomings of the institutions.”

Saira Bano said that ‘one man show’ is existing in Pakistan for 75 years in Pakistan then why the amendment is being brought to the assembly only for the judiciary?

She further questioned if the National Assembly (NA) is established to address national-level issues or personal grudges. She added that none of the NA lawmakers is talking about people dying of inflation.

READ: FEDERAL CABINET APPROVES DRAFT LAW TO CURTAIL CJP SUO MOTU POWERS

Bano said the ruling politicians kept mentioning Toshakhana gifts in the court but they forgot to mention ‘a necklace’. She added former PM Nawaz Sharif was the one who went to court against another ex-PM Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Bano said that she is also receiving death threats.

She asked the government to refrain from fighting with the national institutions, otherwise, things will get out of its hands.

Saira Bano said that the GDA decided to oppose any kind of judicial legislation against the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). She alleged that the current rulers decided to destroy the institutions just to save themselves.

READ: TWO JUDGES’ OPINION ‘NOT RELEVANT’ IN POLLS DELAY CASE, SAYS CJP BANDIAL

Law minister presents judicial reforms bill

It is noteworthy to mention here that Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the judicial reforms bill which aimed to curtail the suo motu powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled the judicial reforms bill to the National Assembly (NA) after its approval from the federal cabinet.

Under the new legislation, the decision for suo motu notice will be taken by three senior judges of the Supreme Court (SC) and they will have to fix the appeal within 14 days.

The new legislation will end sole power of the chief justice to take the suo motu notice. It was also stated that the judiciary will be bound to fix the hearing of the case within 15 days to provide immediate and interim relief.

It added that the party will be allowed to change its lawyer in a suo motu case. Under Article 184, the matter will be presented before a judges committee. The committee will review the case and later it will form a five-member committee for any kind of constitutional interpretation.

The act will be taken into effect on all verdict of the high courts and the Supreme Court (SC).