Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary on Monday criticised Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for his alleged discriminatory attitude towards his party.

The criticism from Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party (PJDP), whose head is the former CJP, came after its failure, despite several attempts, to obtain an in-person meeting with speaker national assembly to submit reference against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over his alleged usage the public funded projects to promote himself illegally.

On August 6, PJDC under Article 63(2) had filed a Reference through postal service before Speaker National Assembly against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, seeking his disqualification as he was not Sadiq and Ameen in view of the Article 62 (1) (f) of the constitution.

According to PJDP’s focal person Sheikh Ahsan Ud Din, although the reference has been sent by postal service, the party wanted to submit Reference personally in order to honour the Office of Speaker.

“But it is the matter of great concern that despite emails, faxes and through mobile phone conversations with your (speaker) Secretary for arranging a meeting with you, I have not received any response. While holding the Speaker of the National Assembly responsible for such delaying tactics, the letter stated that it was a matter of great sorrow that such a senior official failed to fulfill its constitutional obligations.

The letter also noted that the chief organiser Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Sardar Umar Farooq Khan, who is petitioner of reference on the party’s behalf, as well as the party’s legal team, waited outside the building of National Assembly for five hours repeatedly requesting secretary Speaker Office for arranging a meeting but failed.

The letter also pointed out the meeting of leaders of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) with Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, during which a reference against Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s chairman Imran Khan was filed seeking his disqualification. “It would not out of place to mention that it is the failure of constitutional duty on your part. It is discriminatory conduct because a few days ago you received the Reference from PML (N) personally in your Office,” the party regretted. Former CJP and head of PJDP Iftikhar Chaudhary had leveled allegations against the prime minister for concealment of property outside Pakistan, evasion of taxes, money laundering, abuse of SRO culture, clearance of borrowed amount of Rs 6.146 billion, benefits drawn by misusing his position as chief minister in 1988-90, non disclosure of criminal references, misusing the official sources, favoritism and nepotism, and evasion of income tax amongst a plethora of other charges. The reference stated that Nawaz Sharif had never shown his trail of money publicly, which was spent to purchase four flats at Park Lane London, adding that his May 16 speech in National Assembly itself was sufficient to disqualify him. The reference further contended that the PM continued to perform acts unbecoming of an Ameen and Sadiq as he appointed his own daughter Maryam as chairperson Prime Minister’s Youth Programme on his personal whims.

It is further stated that the PM has violated the constitution as he uses the public funded projects to promote himself illegally.