Daily Times

Sadly this November, rebuttals are in the air. This time, an alleged audio clip of former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar is making rounds on social media for purportedly passing instructions to hand down convictions in the Panama case. Justice Nisar has already jumped to the fore and dismissed the clip as “fabricated.” But just as loud has been the PML(N); banging pots and pans as its top leadership steps in the open. “If Nawaz can go to jail, why can’t Saqib Nisar,” quipped former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Others like ex-CM Shahbaz Sharif are busy gloating over a new win. That the recent turn of the tide has enthused a new life in their non-stop singing of the same old song is a no-brainer. Political victimisation has, once again, become a heated buzzword as key leaders are very visibly sharpening their daggers to lambast Mr Nisar. Meanwhile, some in the government have been quick to assume a compilation of original sound bits in a bid to malign the retired judge, and in turn, their stronghold.Basing an entire campaign for his head on a plate with no regard for the convenient timing of the events is a hackneyed strategy. Yes, a non-stop flow of striking evidence that favour PML(N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif, and his daughter has, indeed, put him in a tight spot. Most of all, the onus lies on the shoulders of the serving chief justice to safeguard the judge against a far-reaching smear campaign.

Trusting the credibility of someone who carried the day is a priori assumption. But only an immediate and comprehensive investigation would help wipe the slate of not just Mr Nisar’s but the repute of the entire justice system. If the accused is found to be conniving with some unknown forces and allowing his bias to make a mockery of law and order, no punishment is severe enough to correct the wrong. Likely troubled by his messiah complex, Mr Nisar was determined to leave a blazing legacy behind. Walking on the trail of Iftikhar M Chaudhry, the ex-CJ was a big fan of the media’s limelight. Humiliating politicians and taking the wind out of bureaucrats’ sails was a mutual project. One shot to fame over criminally excessive use of suo-motos while the other busied himself in fund-raising.

Their blatant abuse of power should be looked into so that the overwhelming financial losses and around two million pending cases can finally be touched upon.However, our criminal system runs on the primary principle of “innocent till proven guilty,” not “once tainted, never acquitted.” Like the ongoing affidavit case, the relevant reporter has some hard-hitting questions headed this way. He did try to file a verified piece of evidence in his story but the forensic firm, Garrett Discovery, can only analyse whether the audio clip was doctored. Since footage without a picture tells half-story anyway, it is definitely open for interpretation. Amid concerns regarding who actually was on the phone in the first place and the recipient of these highly-specific instructions, lines are blurring by the day. The publication sitting on such a huge controversy for over two months also raises quite a few eyebrows. Were the two reporters timing their pitches or was it just an unsettling twist of the fate? Whatever the reason may be, the offloading of this pickle right before a heated hearing cannot be dismissed. The target is, definitely, back on the judiciary. *