Form 47 govt ambushed the judiciary through an amendment that has been made through a questionable mechanism: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman

KARACHI, Nov 04 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that the form 47 based assembly has tempered, in the name of 26th Amendment, with the basic structure of the 1973 Constitution that was approved with two-third majority of votes by all segments.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman expressed these views while addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi Headquarters, on Monday. He was flanked by JI Karachi Emir Monem Zafar and other leaders, including Saifuddin Advocate, Muslim Pervez and Raja Arif Sultan.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the form 47 government has ambushed the judiciary through an amendment that has been made through a questionable mechanism. He added that the government has once against made controversial the mechanism for appointment of judges. The issue of seniority of judges in their appointment that had been settled a long ago was once against renewed, he said.

The main objection is on the mechanism through which the government has taken taken control over the judiciary, politicized it, made it controversial, and changed its fabric to governmental by increasing a governmental grip over judiciary, said the JI chief. He further said that the development made by the government was tantamount to striking the Constitution, the judiciary and democratic freedom.   

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the JI has already challenged the amendment through a petition before the apex court. He demanded a full court bench and live streaming for the hearing of the constitutional petition. The JI leader also highlighted that the amendment was favoured by some of the votes other than the governmental parties. It simply means that some corruption and trade of conscience were also involved in the process, he said, adding that the amendment brought by compelling or luring people has no weight. He said that the JI will fight the case in the court and will represent the aspirations of the nation in this regard.

The JI leader also took up the issue of privatization of the Pakistan International Airlines, saying that the privatization surfaced as a big question mark on the entire process. Initially, a handful of people bid for the national flag carrier and later all of them withdrew except for the one who had bid just Rs10 billion for the national flag carrier airline, he said. The JI leader highlighted that even in the prevailing scenario, the value of the PIA assets clocked in at Rs 152 billion, the rolayities touched Rs202 billion, its receivable were Rs16 to Rs17 billions, whereas the number of its permanent employees stood at 7100 and daily wagers at 2400.

In this backdrop, the PIA was bid Rs10 billion, whereas PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif asks his daughter to run the PIA under the Punjab government and Amin Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf expresses his desire to run it under the KPk government. It was nothing less than mockery of the nation, he said. He held the Pakistan People Party, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf governments responsible for the destruction of national institutions. Talking about the Pakistan Steel Mills, he said that the PSM was a profitable organization till 2008. Why did you ordered to suspend the gas supply to the PSM, he asked former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Similarly, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said, the nation had paid Rs2000 billion to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in just a year. Earlier the K-Electric was also sold against less than the value of its polls installed across the mega city, he added. On the occasion, he highlighted that almost Rs1.75 billion have recently been approved for maintaining of aeroplanes for the prime minister and the president. The rulers are more burden on the nation exchequer as compared to the state institutions, he said.

He also highlighted the gas crises, the law and order situation, the Rs1299 billion corruption in the Federal Board of Revenue and other issues that shows the bad governance and failure on part of the government.