LAHORE, Dec 21: Clarifying a news item about her speech at an All Pakistan Lawyers’ Representatives Conference the other day, Supreme Court Bar Association’s former president Asma Jahangir said she neither advised the chief justice of Pakistan to dare contest elections from any constituency in the country nor did she slam the notice taken by the Supreme Court on the appointment of son-in-law of the prime minister.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Ms Jahangir said she was of the view that judges were now taking over expenditure priorities usually decided by parliament in a budget.

“This intrusion is highly improper and if the Supreme Court is to be super decision making in budget making, then parliament need not exist. However, this will pose questions on legitimacy as judges are appointed and now appoint each other.

They do not represent the will of people as they profess. Let them test their popularity by contesting elections from constituencies of their choice,” the statement said.

It said: “I criticized the appointment of the son-in-law of the prime minister even if it was made on merit. However, I did wonder how this ill-practice could be taken up under the suo motu powers of the Supreme Court. I also added that the irony was that the Supreme Court itself had acted in a similar fashion as relatives of two sitting judges have been employed in the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court.”