Khudayar Mohla –
Dispelling an impression that federal law ministry has carried out modification in reference against top court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa on the instructions of President Dr. Arif Alvi, law minister Dr. Farogh Naseem said the ministry business is to act upon complaints it receives from the Asset Recovery Unit and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the best interest of the country.
Dr. Nasim said on Friday that there is no truth to the reports regarding changes made in the language of the Reference since no such directions were issued by the Aiwan-e-Sadar in this regard and no language was changed.
Rejecting a news report that Barrister Dr. Muhammad Farogh Naseem was master mind to initiating case against the senior Supreme Court Judge the ministry said that the minister has nothing to do with such act.
“It is to clarify the news carried by certain sections of the press alluding that the Ministry of Law and Justice had deliberately used harsh language in the Reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the President, Mr. Arif Alvi, had to modify the language of the reference- There is no truth to the reports regarding changes made in the language of the Reference since no such directions were issued by the Aiwan-e-Sadar in this regard and no language was changed”, said the ministry.
While terming such news as malicious, the ministry stated that law ministry on its own has no mechanism to look into the assets of any judge saying the ministry is bound to process complaints it receives from the Asset Recovery Unit and Federal Board of Revenue in the best interest of the country.
“The ministry of law and justice and the law minister believes in upholding the rule of Law and will continue to do so. News from a section of the press that the Law Minister has been criticized for initiating the case against Justice Qazi Faez Isa is factually incorrect and a figment of relevant journalist’s imagination. Law minister has always been appreciated for upholding the rule of law”, the statement said .
Opposition expresses concern over reference against judges
During the course of day, the Opposition submitted a resolution in the Senate expressing grave concerns over the reference against judges over non-disclosure of foreign assets in the wealth statements. The Opposition termed the references a direct attack on the independence of the judiciary, saying the reference was intended to stifle voices of reason, truth and justice in the judiciary.
Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) convenes meeting over reference issue.
Top regulatory body of the lawyers in country PBC has convened meeting of representatives of all the provincial bar councils and Islamabad Bar Council two days before adjudication of the Reference on June 12 at Islamabad. Secretary of the PBC said that during the meeting representatives will chalk out future course of action regarding federation reference against Supreme Court judge justice Qazi Faez Isa and Sindh High Court judge K.K Agha.
