Parliament not usurping powers of SC: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Wednesday the Parliament was not usurping the powers of the Supreme Court but rather this house had been legislating as per its constitutional right.

Participating in the debate on the legislative proposal related to judicial reforms, the defence minister said a bill resembling Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 was drafted 15 years ago but it was resisted by a bench of the apex court.

Khawaja Asif said the Bill was not adding any parliamentarians but included judges from the Supreme Court. “We are diluting the powers of one individual and dividing it among three judges that need to be understood,” he added.

The defence minister noted that the Parliament was making this process transparent and taking the initiative empowered by the constitution. “We are the architect of the constitution and all other institutions are extensions of it.”

Asif said the law relating to the disqualification of former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani should be also reviewed. He said that ex-Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was disqualified while words of the Sicilian mafia were used without any right to appeal.

He underlined that the constitution gave us the right to amend laws and the public mandate gave us this power, adding, this House had the mandate of the people who are the center of power, the state news agency reported.

He emphasized that the tone of the House should not be apologetic as all requirements were fulfilled for this legislation. “Our actions are being scrutinized by the judiciary. They had the right to do so but cannot enact legislation,” he maintained.

Khawaja Asif said the Parliament was not trespassing on any other’s rights, adding, “We are giving the right to appeal. The institution of the judiciary should have some democracy in it. The law is nourishing now after this process.”