ISLAMABAD, March 16: Senate Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges on Friday took up a number of privilege motions for discussion moved by members of the Upper House.
According to a press release, the committee members, belonging to the opposition benches including leader of the opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Asfandyar Wali, Dr Mohammad Ismail Buledi and movers Raza Mohammad Raza, Mohammad Azam Khan Swati and Saadia Abbasi, strongly voiced their anger and anguish on the removal of the chief justice of Pakistan and subsequent maltreatment and decided to stage a walkout.
The committee chairman, Senator Col (retired) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, however, requested them in keeping with the highest traditions of democracy and good parliamentary traditions to listen to views of the government’s side as well before the walkout saying that an equal opportunity existed for everybody to express their views.
Leader of the House in the Senate Wasim Sajjad, Senator Naeem Hussain Chattha and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi also condemned the maltreatment towards the chief justice at the hands of police.
Mr Mashhadi said as suo motu notice had been taken by the acting chief justice of Pakistan on the maltreatment meted out to the chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, by some police officials, he expressed confidence that justice would be done in accordance with the law of the land and the matter should not be discussed for that as it was subjudice.
He said the matter of the removal of the chief justice was a constitutional and legal issue and must be resolved legally in accordance with the Constitution. The nation must be taken out of the crisis by exercising restraint, reason and justice not by resorting to use of force, he added.
