Sharif Govt dictated verdict -- Daily

Sharif Govt dictated verdict -- Daily
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

ISLAMABAD, FEB 11: The role of Pakistan judiciary came under scrutiny after a London daily alleged that a judge of Lahore High Court, who convicted former Premier Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari for five years in a corruption case in 1999 had delivered a pre-written guilty verdict at the instance of the then Nawaz Sharif Government.

‘‘The credibility of the judiciary suffered a major blow this week when the paper published taped conversations establishing nexus between Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who convicted Benazir and the Law Minister during regime of the deposed Prime Minister Sharif,’’ Pakistan’s weekly, The Friday Times has said.

‘‘Justice Qayyum is seemingly caught in a eye of storm by the London-based paper, which alleges that the judge has handed down a pre-written guilty verdict against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari apparently under the pressure from the Sharif government,’’ the weekly said.

Justice Qayyum heading a two member bench sentenced Benazir and Zardari for five years imprisonment each and a fine of 8.6 million dollars in April, 1999. The judgement also ordered the disqualification of their Parliament membership as well as confiscation of their property.

While Benazir left the country for exile abroad when the judgement was delivered, Zardari, who was in prison facing several civil and criminal charges was convicted.

Benazir’s appeal would come up for hearing before the Supreme Court on Febuary 26.

The Sunday Times based its report containing detailed taped telephone conversations between Justice Qayyum and the Law Minister, Khalid Anwar recorded by the then Deputy Director of Intelligence Bureau, Abdul Rehim.Rehim in a petition to the then Pakistan President, Rafiq Tarar said that he was asked to tap the telephones of Justice Qayyum by the Sharif Government soon after the trial began against Bhuttos.

For his part Justice Qayyum challenged the validity of the tapes saying that they could have been concocted or doctored and claimed that he gave the judgement according to the dictates of his conscience.

But more damaging were the allegations that the Judge has been given diplomatic passports for him and his wife on April 30, 1998, three days before he issued orders to freeze the assets of Bhutto.

The passports were given at the instance of Sharif himself despite serious objections raised by the then acting Foreign Secretary, who in writing informed the Government that judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts were not entitled for diplomatic passports, The Friday Times said.

Reacting to the allegations against the Judge, the Deputy chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party Makhdoom Amin Fahim demanded a detailed investigations into the allegations.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court, Justic Sajjid Ali Shah said that all the regimes without exception exerted pressure on the judges to give favourable judgements.

He said, ‘‘Both Benazir and Sharif attempted to exert pressure on him to postpone proceedings in certain sensitive cases.’’