Flogging fundamental rights on February 17, 2019We have often heard of the quote, ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’. The quote is often attributed to Voltaire. However, interestingly, it wasn’t coined by him at all. As history would have it, the phrase is actually attributable to a lady by […]
Assuming the worst on July 12, 2018In terms of the law, the initial burden of proof is on the prosecution, and if, and only if the prosecution discharges such burden, would the accused be required to satisfy the court as to why a judgment should not be passed against the same. In light of the above, and in regard to Nawaz […]
The Gilgit-Baltistan question on June 8, 2018As the Prime Minister made his way to the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, as it was known then, he was greeted along the way by locals waving shoes in the air. The Prime Minister was making his way to the Assembly to unveil the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Order, 2018. Unsurprisingly, he was taken aback by the […]
Another questionable verdict on April 14, 2018The ramifications of the judgment are manifold, however, the rationale on which it is based appears tenuous. In its reasoning, the Supreme Court has in essence held that someone convicted of a crime of moral turpitude against a third party can re-enter the political arena after five years of his release, whereas someone who has […]
Taming the lion on March 13, 2018On August 4, 2017, the Supreme Court (SC) disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the post of Prime Minister. A few months later, on February 21, 2018, the SC stripped him of the post of PML-N President. Whether the SC was right or wrong in disqualifying Nawaz Sharif from the Prime Ministership, there can be little doubt […]
A suo motu court on January 9, 2018The Supreme Court has announced that it will be focusing on the provision of healthcare and education in 2018. Unlike in previous years where the Supreme Court would utilise its suo motu powers by sifting through media reports and other information it received, the Supreme Court now appears to be channelising and formalising such powers […]
Pakistan’s sacred cows on November 28, 2017Pakistan is the land of the pure. This is why we really don’t hold accountability to much of a standard. What need would anyone have for accountability in a country that literally is ‘of the pure’? The pure can’t be corrupted. In a land where corruption is a myth, and allegations are considered mere ‘Jewish […]
Ire of the Supreme Court on November 12, 2017The Supreme Court has an eloquence to its judgments. The choice of words, the reference to legal provisions, and the high moral pedestal from which it declares the law, all create a majesty in the law, and indeed, in the judges who declare such law. It is with such adoration and respect that I chose […]
Accountability within the judiciary on October 14, 2017I remember I had once been having a discussion with a former Supreme Court Justice about the state of the judiciary. The man is remarkable, and considered by me to be one of the most honourable judges to have graced the Supreme Court. He was and always will be my mentor. This discussion was taking […]