Senior PML-N leader and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has demanded constitution of a full court for reviewing the Panama and other cases as there was a question-mark on the actions of judiciary and the judges, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing the National Assembly on Friday, the defence minister said there were remarks of the judges that the court acted beyond its purview in Nawaz Sharif’s case.

Asif said PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also said that Nawaz Sharif was subjected to “excess”.

The way the PML-N government was ousted in Punjab was also on record, he said, adding the question was also raised in the Supreme Court in this regard.

The minister, who is also a PML-N stalwart, regretted that former prime minister and the party supremo Nawaz Sharif was disqualified merely on the basis of ‘iqama’. 

Asif was of the view that the PTI’s ‘Jail Bharo’ movement had failed. “Now if an iota of shame is left in the party leaders and workers, they should commit suicide,” he added.

He went on to say that some of the judges used ‘derogatory words for my leader Nawaz Sharif’. 

The minister said another question was that whether the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies could be termed constitutional. “Truth of the matter is that there is a big question mark over the role of judges and courts,” he claimed.

Referring to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, he said never ever in the history had anybody defied court summons. “The courts are lenient when it comes to Imran,” he said, adding, “Same leniency was not shown by the courts when the PML-N leaders were facing cases. Our arrest warrants were issued immediately.”  

Asif said the entire nation was now looking up to the Supreme Court as it had taken suo moto notice of delay in elections in Punjab and KP.

Criticizing Imran, he said that previously he used to say that he had been ousted from power by the USA. “But now, he denies American role in his ouster,” he added. 

The minister asked whether the PTI chief had provided medical report to the courts which could shed light on his injury. “It has been six months now that he has not removed plaster from his leg,” he said.

Asif said that the questions raised by the Supreme Court while taking the suo motu notice could have consequences not only for the present situation but also for the future. “Therefore, the formation of nine-member bench is not enough,” he opined, adding, “Full court bench should listen to all the parties to the case before pronouncing its verdict.”

He further said that a question was asked that parliamentarians keep criticizing judges. “But what politicians can do if judges interfere in their affairs,” he asked.

The minister said that at the same time there were judges whose conduct had never been called into question. “Objections are raised over the conduct of Saqib Nisar and some other judges,” he said, adding, “But never has anybody criticized Nasirul Mulk. This is a question for the judiciary to answer.”  

He held judiciary responsible for former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s hanging and the ouster of Nawaz Sharif from power.  

Asif was of the opinion that it was not courts’ business to rewrite the constitution. 

He further said that Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for life. “There are remarks by judges that justice was not done in his case,” he added.

The minister said that each federal minister’s salary was Rs168,000 and it was not in crores. 

Asif said there were some politicians who will be remembered in history in golden words. 

He regretted that no institution had been held responsible for its deeds. 

He ridiculed PTI leaders’ reaction when they were arrested by police. “These people weep when police take them into custody. On the contrary we were remanded in police custody for 90 days. Maryam Nawaz spent time in jail. But she did not sob,” the minister said, adding, “This is because we are political workers by birth.” 

Asif said the government did not want to burden masses by levying taxes on them. “But else we can do since we are being made to pay the price for the poor governance and flawed policies of the PTI government,” he claimed. 

PTI leader said that around 80, 000 people lost their lives in the war on terror. “But do we have the courage to ask as to who had settle these militants in Pakistan again?” he questioned. 

Was there somebody, he added, who had the courage to ask retired generals Qamar Javed Bajwa and General Faiz Hameed as to why they brought thousands of militants back to Pakistan and settle them here. “We had been told that they would remain peaceful. But then comes the suicide attack on Peshawar mosque,” he concluded.