Pak judiciary not at war with executive: Justice Ramday
By ANITuesday, October 19, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Responding to news reports about an alleged standoff between the government and the judiciary, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday has said that the judiciary has not waged any war against the executive.
Ramday remarked that nobody had supported the steps taken on November 3, 2007, and by giving the July 31 verdict, it had not waged any war but held that elected representatives should decide on the National Reconciliation Ordinance, the Daily Times reported.
A 17-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was hearing a case pertaining to media reports alleging that the government was considering the withdrawal of the March 16, 2009 notification that reinstated the judges of superior courts.
Under Article 190 of the Constitution, all executive authorities throughout the country were bound to obey the Supreme Court orders, ruled the court, with the CJP adding, “We had issued a final order in this regard.”
Chaudhry observed that the judiciary believed in the rule of the law, and would always function according to the Constitution.
“All constitutional and state functionaries and administrative heads in the country need to ensure that no action qua initiation of proceedings concerning withdrawal of the executive order, status whereof has already been determined by this court in its judgement in the Sindh High Court Bar Association’s case (supra), is taken, intentionally or otherwise, by any of them,” the court ruled in its order.
Justice Javed Iqbal pointed out that one of the anchorpersons in a TV show had claimed that a de-notification had been signed.
Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq submitted an interim report filed by the committee, constituted by the government to probe the authenticity of the news reports in this regard aired by various channels.
The CJP observed that the committee probing the media reports should abstain from using terms such as “standoff” in its report.
As the AGP sought some time to submit a final report, the court adjourned its hearing until the receipt of the committee’s report. (ANI)
