Khawaja Asif criticises judiciary for ‘political verdicts’

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday criticised the judiciary for its alleged ‘political verdicts’, saying that the decisions should be in accordance with the Constitution and law, ARY News reported.

In a statement, the minister emphasised that the judiciary’s responsibility is to interpret the law, not to make one. He noted that judges should focus on interpreting the law rather than venturing into political commentary.

The Defense Minister pointed out that there have been numerous political decisions made by the judiciary, citing the examples of Justice Muneer’s decision and the Bhutto case. He warned that the current situation could lead to constitutional chaos.

Khawaja Asif also stressed that political stability is not just the responsibility of politicians but also of the judiciary, media, and bureaucracy. He urged the judiciary to restore its credibility as rumors of conflict within judges are spreading.

Asif also suggested that Article 209 should be applied to judges who make wrong decisions.

The statement came in the aftermath of Supreme Court’s judgement, declaring Imran Khan-founded PTI eligible for seats reserved for women and minorities.

A 13-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled that the PTI is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah announced the 8-5 majority verdict, setting aside the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order wherein it had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision denying the reserved seats to the SIC.

READ: Article 151, 106 re-written in reserved seats case verdict: Khawaja Asif

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Afghan, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Ameenuddin Khan opposed the majority decision.

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it has decided to implement the Supreme Court (SC) verdict declaring PTI eligible for reserved seats.

According to the ECP spokesperson, the commission has issued instructions to its legal team to ensure the implementation of the Supreme Court decision.

The spokesperson clarified that the ECP has not misinterpreted the SC’s verdict and has not declared the intra-party elections as valid. Instead, the commission has held that the PTI’s intra-party elections were not in accordance with the law, and therefore, the candidates who submitted their nomination papers without a party ticket and declaration could not be considered PTI candidates.