Speaker 'misused' her office: PML-N
24 May, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday accused National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza of "misusing" her office by not sending a reference against the prime minister to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
"This is the worst precedent the speaker has set to save the office of her party colleague," Nisar told a press conference. The PML-N leader lashed out at the speaker, saying that this had been the practice of all members of the PPP to ridicule the superior judiciary for their party's interests.
"Dr Mirza is another addition to the long list of PPP members who have made mockery of decisions of the superior judiciary," Nisar said, and rejected arguments given by the speaker for not forwarding the reference to the ECP.
On one hand, Nisar added, the verdict entailed likely implications of the Article 63(1)(g) for disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gilani as prime minister, but on the other the speaker says there arises no question of disqualification. He said the speaker should have forwarded the reference to ECP if she believed in the norms of justice.
He also rejected the speaker citing the case of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to substantiate her point, saying that the former PML-N leader was convicted by a sessions judge and he had an option of filing an appeal in a high court and the Supreme Court. Nisar also mentioned the PML-N's proposed names for their appointment as chief election commissioner. The names, he said, would be forwarded to the parliamentary committee concerned today (Friday).
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