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HARIPUR: Former Supreme Court judge Ejaz Afzal Khan has defended Nawaz Sharif’s conviction by the apex court in Panama Papers case, saying the former premier was disqualified on the basis of his ‘admissions’.
“All principles of dispensation of justice were respected and fulfilled in the Panama Papers case,” he told Dawn after attending a lunch hosted for him by former president of the Haripur District Bar Association Sardar Abdul Rauf Khan here on Thursday.
The former judge, who authored the April 2017 Panama Papers verdict, said the critics should read the judgment before discussing if it’s based on merit or not.
Insists Nawaz disqualified in light of his ‘admissions’
“The people should at least read the Supreme Court’s first judgment of April 20, 2017, the JIT’s findings in its 275 pages report to the SC (recommending to NAB to file a reference against Nawaz Sharif, his sons and daughter for failing to justify their incomes and assets), and then the final verdict of July 28, 2017 and if they find anything wrong in them, they can discuss it with me,” he said.
He said he had nothing to do with whatever the Islamabad High Court had done (suspension of the accountability court’s verdict about Sharifs’ conviction as the NAB failed to provide corruption evidence against the former PM and his family).
The former judge blamed backlog of court cases on shortage of facilities, delaying tactics by litigants, and hearing adjournments secured by lawyers.
“I believe that those who are on the right path and are truthful whether they are litigants or lawyers will never create obstacle to the expeditious dispensation of justice,” he said.
Retired justice Ejaz Afzal said the strengthening of alternative dispute resolution system won’t reduce the courts’ burden.
He however said the panchayat and jirga system was a better option for the purpose.
The former judge earlier told the ceremony said he had served in the higher judicial system for 18 years and found the job very tough.
He said he decided the cases on merit and substantively.
Chief election commissioner retired justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, KP Bar Council chairman Malik Khaliqdad, police AIG (operation) Dr Naeem Khan, lawyers and local police officers were also present on the occasion.
HARIPUR: A guard of the Tarbela dam drowned in a barrage here on Thursday.
The police said Ghulam Rasool of Azad Jammu and Kashmir slipped into the barrage as he went there to fetch water.
The divers fished out the body and shifted it to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Ghazi.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018
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