Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s explanation after the minister was summoned for his comments “ridiculing the court” over the transfer of Inspector-General of Police Islamabad Jan Muhammad.

The apex court had also taken exception to Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati’s statement.

During the hearing of a suo motu case pertaining to IGP’s transfer, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, had summoned the ministers.

Justice Ahsan said the ministers’ statements were “irresponsible” and “indirectly ridiculing the court”.

He recalled the transfer of IG Punjab was done in a similar manner which led to Nasir Durrani resigning in protest.

The attorney general, however, defended the government’s decision by claiming that the transfer was already in the works. He said a case was already being made against Jan Muhammad due to Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi’s complaints.

When the attorney general shared a WhatsApp conversation between the state minister and the IGP, Justice Ahsan asked if the government was running state affairs via WhatsApp.

“The country will be run according to the law. We do not care who is running the government,” he added.

Earlier, the apex court had sought a written explanation from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government through the AGP as to whether the transfer was bona fide or colourable exercise of power.

Published in Daily Times, November 1^st 2018.