LAHORE, Dec 7: After Asif Hashmi, another PPP stalwart has castigated party’s central Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo for his demand of holding general elections under the supervision of judiciary and termed it a deviation from the 20th Amendment.

Prime Minister’s Adviser Fawad Chaudhry, in a letter to President Zardari, has expressed his wonder as to why Mr Wattoo and some other PPP leaders are demanding elections under the judiciary supervision.

Earlier, Mr Hashmi, who is the head of Evacuee Trust Property Board, had ‘snubbed’ Mr Wattoo in a condolence meeting for going against his (Hashmi’s) interests.

Fawad Chaudhry informed the president: “The demand, made by Wattoo, to involve the judiciary in the 2013 election process will seriously prejudice the principle of separation of the judiciary from the executive. “It is understandable that the PPP believes in separation of the judiciary and the executive, for which the party leadership has struggled in the past and has always stood for the integrity and independence of judiciary. The demand by PPP leaders that the elections should be held under the supervision of the judiciary amounts to deviating from the spirit of 20th Constitutional Amendment that provides for elections under independent election commission and neutral caretaker government. The 20th Amendment provides for free, fair and impartial elections under a neutral administration and there is no mention of involving the judiciary in the process.

“I believe the demand by some PPP leaders to hold the next elections under the supervision of the judiciary is a departure from the existing constitutional scheme and it must be given a second thought at the Central Executive Committee of the PPP.”Mr Chaudhry further said he had serious reservations on the remarks and general courtroom behaviour of some honourable judges.

“As a humble worker of the PPP, I have simply lost trust in the present judiciary and I strongly believe it has lost credibility to hold free, fair, impartial and transparent elections.” Mr Chaudhry said the 2013 elections should be held under the supervision of a neutral administration, in accordance with the very spirit of the 20th Amendment.