News
Saturday, August 25, 2012
PM above judges, can’t be summoned: AG
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: Attorney General (AG) of Pakistan Irfan Qadir said on Friday that under the constitution the prime minister was neither answerable to courts in performance of his official duties nor could any court summon him in this regard.
Talking to reporters, the AG said he did not know if Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf would appear before the court in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case on August 27.
Qadir said the prime minister’s office was superior to that of judges and he was not accountable to courts. He added all positions fell under the authority of prime minister after the president.
The AG said that the Supreme Court should not have asked the prime minister to appear before it, adding that the court could not ask the prime minister to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against the president.
“All institutions of the federation should be respected,” Qadir said.
He said that the final decision on the contempt of court case against the prime minister would be taken within two days. The AG said that he would continue to follow the constitution of Pakistan “regardless of what the court says”. He, however, did not comment on what steps the Supreme Court could take if the prime minister failed to appear before it.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk