ISLAMABAD (Republic policy news) – Observing that “we haven’t learnt a lesson from the incidents of Faizabad sit-in and May 12,” Chief Justice (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday adjourned the hearing of various review petitions until November 1.
The CJP was heading the three-day bench hearing review petitions filed by the federal government, Pemra, IB and others against the decision he wrote in 2017.
The CJP asked tough questions from the lawyers of various petitioners about whether the apex court’s order was carried out.
Addressing the Election Commission (ECP) counsel, CJP Isa said it is a constitutional institution. He asked the lawyers to inform the court who ordered the [ECP] to file a review petition and ordered now to withdraw the plea. It is the old practice [in Pakistan] that let bygone be bygone.
Can you tell the court how many people were killed in Karachi on May 12 [2007]? Let’s forget it, the chief justice asked the ECP lawyer.
CJP Isa said it is incorrect to say that the government is old or new; the government means authority, whatever the party is in power. The same is the case with ECP; it’s an institution.
“Everyone should be held accountable. Let’s start the process by self-accountability,” he remarked.
The CJP asked the counsel where the apology letter of the ECP for filing the review petition is.
CJP stopped the DG Law of the ECP when he tried to intervene while the lawyer was speaking. “Don’t you trust your representative,” he said.
WITHDRAWAL PLEAS
The federal government decided to withdraw the review petition it had filed in the Supreme Court in the Faizabad sit-in case earlier.
Attorney General Mansoor Usman said he would apply to the three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, which was to take up the petition today (Thursday), to withdraw the plea.
Interestingly, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has also applied to withdraw its civil review petition against the apex court’s 2019 verdict in the Faizabad sit-in case. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) had sought to start a similar plea a day ago.
However, former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has requested adjournment.
Earlier on Wednesday, PEMRA Chairman Saleem Baig had applied to the apex court through advocate Sharif Janjua to withdraw the petition.
On Tuesday, the IB stated in its application that it did not want to pursue the case anymore.
