ISLAMABAD, July 10: The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has termed the new contempt of court bill a “bad law that has been framed with mala fide intentions” and said it was a violation of the principle of equality under the Constitution.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, TIP chairman Sohail Muzaffar, its trustees Justice (retd) Dr Ghous Muhammad and Justice (retd) Nasira Javed Iqbal and former chairman Syed Adil Gilani appealed to parliamentarians to condemn the passing of such a ‘black law’ which violated Article 25 of the Constitution specifically declaring that all citizens are equal and entitled to equal protection under the law.

The TIP chief said the bill was also against the national interest and appeared to be mala fide because one prime minister had already been convicted of contempt of court and other former ministers were facing similar charges.

According to the Constitution, he said, no law against the Islamic principles could be made and the new law was not aimed at protecting citizens of the country, but an individual, and belittled the judiciary.

The TIP trustees appealed to all patriotic Pakistanis to stand by the judiciary and condemn what they called a ‘black law’ which was aimed at destroying the independent judiciary.

“In future all efforts should be made by people not to vote for so-called politicians who are bent upon destroying the nation.

Never in the history of Pakistan not even in the military governments any such attempt has been made to sideline the judiciary,” they said.