Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parliamentary leader in the Senate Barrister Ali Zafar said on Thursday that the courts should stay out of politics. His remarks came a day after the premier visited CJP Afridi’s residence, at his invitation, to share the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the National Judicial Policymaking Committee (NJPMC).
Speaking to the media. the PTI counsel said that such meetings should be ̶0;one-off” and not be routine practice. ̶0;The CJP should not make such meetings a routine [practice] as it gives the impression of politics.” ̶0;It’s correct that the chief justice has called the opposition for the meeting and I am part of that delegation. I am going to Islamabad to meet him [chief justice] today at his residence,” he added. Barrister Zafar said the 10 to 12-point meeting agenda with the CJP includes discussion on law, the judicial system, commercial cases and the digitalisation of the judicial system.
“This is unusual because I have never seen it before, that a chief justice meets a government and opposition delegation.” It appears that such meetings may be an effort to bring the government and the opposition on the same page, the PTI leader said, adding: ̶0;Despite this, such meetings should not be made routine practice and it would be better to make such practice a one-off thing as meeting the opposition and government can give a perception of politics.”
Responding to a question about the PTI’s upcoming power show, Barrister Zafar confirmed that there would be no clash between their public rally and the ongoing ICC event.
“The PTI is not being allowed to hold rallies in Punjab,” claimed the PTI leader. Talking about ̶0;political victimisation”, he said the incumbent government was using tactics that were not used even during periods of dictatorshipa. ̶0;The PTI will stage protest demonstrations after Eid ul Fitr,” the PTI lawyer reiterated. ̶0;The government will collapse if proceeding of pending cases resumes,” he claimed further.
