Musharraf Verdict Embodies Legal Lacunae: Basharat

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2019 ) :Punjab Minister for Law Raja Basharat on Monday said the recent verdict of the Special Court against former president Pervez Musharraf embodied legal lacunae.

The court, he said, could award death sentence but the use of a jargon in the Musharraf verdict was unprecedented. Hanging Pervez Musharraf (body in case of he was found dead) was an operative part of the sentence awarded to him by the judge, he added.

The verdict's shortcomings must be removed or otherwise such decisions would recur in future, the minister stressed during a media briefing on the ongoing Punjab Assembly session arranged here by the Press Gallery Committee at the Punjab Assembly On pro-Musharraf protests in the country, he said such demonstrations protests were natural over such jargon used in the verdict against the former president, which was not permissible under the law or Constitution.

Taking credit for the record legislation by the current Punjab Assembly under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the Law Minister blamed the opposition for undermining the interests of masses and ignoring assembly business. The opposition parties merely pursued their personal agenda during all sessions.

"Such is the non-seriousness of the opposition parties that they boycotted most of the assembly proceedings despite requisitioning sessions themselves," he added.

To a question, Raja Basharat said the rules of business of the Punjab Assembly or the National Assembly did not make it binding to appoint the opposition leaders as chairmen of respective Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Shehbaz Sharif had resigned from the PAC's chairmanship, he added.

On appearing before the Punjab Bar Council, the minister said that there was no need to appear before the PBC as he had never sought any license from the body for practice as a lawyer.

About the Punjab Institute of Cardiology attack case, he said the decision was to be taken by the courts. The government had taken action against the accused and now it was the prerogative of the courts to give them punishment, he added.

To a question on police lethargy in the PIC attack, he said the chief minister had constituted a committee to look into the administrative failure of the police as the IGP Punjab had also initiated an in-house probe.

Raja Basharat said the PTI government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Bazdar, had taken measures to overcome economic crisis and was focusing on solving public problems.

Press Gallery Committee President Mian Aslam and Secretary Faizan Bangash were also present on the occasion.