News
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Presidential referenceCabinet okays 5 questions of law
* Babar says objective of reference is to correct error of judgment for statutes and legal history
* Details about questions to be released today
* Info minister says national govt need of the hourISLAMABAD: A special meeting of the federal cabinet on Wednesday approved five questions of law to be presented before the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan for revisiting the case of hanging of the late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB).
Briefing newsmen on the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan, said that questions of law relating to the reference filed by the president under Article 186 of the constitution in the SC were discussed in detail during the meeting.
The cabinet, she said, invited Dr Babar Awan, counsel in the ZAB case, and counsel of the president, to brief it on legal and constitutional aspects of the reference as well as the proceedings before the SC.
She said that Babar informed the cabinet that proceedings of the reference were progressing satisfactorily in the SC.
“He presented before the cabinet the questions of law framed in the reference to be presented before the SC,” Firdaus added.
“The objective of the reference is that error of judgment be corrected for statutes and legal history because it was a judicial murder of the chairman of a premier political party and founder of the country’s constitution,” Babar said
Firdaus said that Babar also highlighted before the cabinet the history as well as the global significance of such high-profile cases. “Details of points being raised by PPP will be made public today,” she added.
The minister said it was the goal of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that the superior judiciary should undo the wrong done to ZAB.
“As far as political victimisation of PPP is concerned, masses undo them by voting PPP to power again and again,” she concluded.
Firdaus said that national government and politics of reconciliation were part of the vision of the slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto (BB).
She said that BB had put forward the concept of politics of reconciliation even before the 2008 elections. “It is in line with her vision that the PPP leadership wants to put an end to the politics of confrontation,” she added.
She said at this critical juncture when Pakistan was facing several challenges, including drone attacks, economic challenges and inflation due to increasing prices of petroleum products in the global markets, it was need of the hour to take all political forces along to face the crises. “In politics, allies and rivals change with the passage of time. It is like a flowing river as nothing remains static in political arena,” the minister added.
To a question, Firdaus said that consultations were being held with all the political forces. “However, it would be too early to make a final comment on other parties joining the government’s alliance,” she elaborated. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk