KARACHI: Lawyers want PM disqualified over Steel Mills sell-off
By A Reporter
KARACHI, June 22: Lawyers on Friday approved a resolution seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for allegedly receiving kickbacks in the privatisation deal of the Pakistan Steel Mills.
They also sought the disqualification of former federal minister of state for communications Shahid Jamil Qureshi for his alleged involvement in the murder of a Canadian woman, saying that the issues would be raised soon after the summer vacations if the reference against Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan was not withdrawn immediately.
These views were expressed during a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall during the daily hourly boycott of courts by lawyers from 10.30am to 11.30am.
KBA General-Secretary Naeem Qureshi alleged that the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills was based on mala fide intentions and heavy commissions had been received in the case, adding that credit went to the Supreme Court of Pakistan for taking suo moto action against the privatisation.
He said there was enough proof for the speaker of the National Assembly to send references to the Election Commission against Shaukat Aziz and Shahid Jamil Qureshi. He asked the opposition members to file references against them.
The KBA leader said that proof about the rulers’ involvement in corruption was being collected to be used in references against members of the treasury benches.“Despite the summer vacations we have maintained the tempo of the movement and the people will see how we will change the situation after the vacations” he said, adding that the lawyers were behind Imran Khan in the legal fight.
Mr Qureshi said if the ruling parties did not stop what he termed anti-judiciary policies, the lawyers would be compelled to change their strategy. He said the lawyers were not ready to bargain over their principled stand and asked the rulers to stop hatching conspiracies against them.
The meeting approved another resolution presented by Abdul Hafeez Baloch, member of the KBA Managing Committee, which demanded of the government to sever diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom for conferring a knighthood upon controversial writer Salman Rushdie.
Criticising the rulers he said the country was facing the worst type of judicial crisis yet the government was least bothered about listening to the people. He said that in such a situation the increasing unrest in the masses would cause an explosion, which would be uncontrollable for the government.
