KARACHI, July 12: The Pakistan People’s Party has maintained that the newly-promulgated presidential ordinance on contempt of court was “based on mala fide intentions to defeat the will and sovereignty of the parliament.”

Senator Farook H. Naek of PPP in a statment on Saturday claimed that the ordinance had been promulgated by Gen Musharraf to “create obstruction” in the criticism of those involved in the dispensation of justice and to use it against lawyers fighting for the supremacy of the parliament, and independence of judiciary.

Senator Naek noted that for the first time, personalized criticism of a judge had been made contempt of court which, according to him, meant that a judge could not be criticised even for the conduct and act which he had done in his personal capacity, or in a manner not befitting to the office he was holding.

“This is injustice and inequity personified, and protection to the judges not available to other members of the society. This is discriminatory and violative of Article 25 of the constitution,” said Senator Naek.

Instead of promulgating the present ordinance and repealing the Contempt of Court Act 1976, it would have been better to leave the matter to the parliament, he said.