If parliament of right to legislate is not acceptable; stop mockery of elections, says Speaker National Assembly
Chief Justice should reduce the atmosphere of conflict in institutions: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Islamabad, APR 16 /DNA/ – The Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, says that if the legislative authority of the Parliament is not to acceptable, then the mockery of the election should also be ended. He maintained that if the Supreme Court interferes in the matters of Parliament, then its authority will also be challenged.
He was sharing these views in a special interview with Voice of America correspondent Ali Furqan in Islamabad. He opined that legislation is the authority of the parliament and if Supreme Court interferes in these matters constitutional supremacy of the parliament would be ended. He added, if Supreme Courts continues interference, then the mockery of elections should be stopped and the legislation should be should be done by them (Supreme Court).
The Speaker said that the same Supreme Court, which is preventing the elected representatives of the people from making laws, had given military dictator Pervez Musharraf the right to amend the law. “The constitutional institutions of the state should work within their limits”, he added.
Pervaiz Ashraf said that the Parliament is the mother of all institutions from where the Constitution of Pakistan was formulated and according to it, epicenter of power is parliament, ‘’no other institution has this authority’’, he emphasized.
He said that he is unable to understand that when political parties and lawyers’ fraternity were demanding that a full court be constituted to address the issue of provincial assembly elections, what was wrong with it that instead of three or seven judges, full court listened to it.
If ambiguity can be removed from forming full court, then why is not anarchy avoided, he asked.
According to him, this conflict is not in anyone’s interest because it gives rise to mistrust and mismanagement between institutions and the country cannot run without mutual respect between state institutions.
Referring to the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the Punjab Assembly elections, Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the nation is still confused about the decision, “the Chief Justice would resolve this crisis”, he hoped.
