ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry has expressed the hope that the country’s judiciary will take “strict notice” of the “fake medical reports” submitted by supreme leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, the information minister alleged that by submitting false medical reports, Mr Sharif had in fact “ridiculed” the country’s judicial system.

According to the minister, Mr Sharif’s act of sending fake medical reports of his personal physician sitting in the US to Pakistan amounted to making a mockery of the country’s legal system. He expressed the hope that in order to restore Pakistan’s prestige at the international level, the judiciary would take “strict notice of it”.

Commenting on the contents of the medical reports, he said the PML-N supremo, who has been living in self-exile in the UK, had submitted the report of a doctor who lived in Washington. The report, he said, simply stated that Mr Sharif was under stress.

Accuses ex-PM of ridiculing country’s judicial system

“An interesting medical report of Nawaz Sharif has been submitted to the high court today. Dr Shawl, who lives in Washington, narrates in the report that Nawaz Sharif, who resides in London, is under extreme stress due to Covid-19 and his medical condition does not allow him to travel to Pakistan,” said the minister.

Ridiculing the medical report, he said there was only one missing thing in the report that it had not advised Mr Sharif to only walk in London’s Hyde Park as by walking at any other place would increase his stress.

Stating that such reports would not help Mr Sharif gain his objectives, he advised the PML-N leader to return the money to the national exchequer which he had allegedly looted during his governments. After this, he said, Mr Sharif could live in London without any stress.

On Sunday, the information minister through his official social media account on Twitter had urged the country’s judiciary to take stock of its rapidly declining reputation in the world rankings and declared that it would be a big challenge for Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who is set to become the new chief justice of Pakistan on Wednesday (today).

The minister had made the remarks apparently in reference to a recent report of the Washington-based World Justice Project, according to which Pakistan ranks 130 out of 139 countries on rule of law.

The information minister had mentioned the question raised by Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem that “if the judges are not responsible for the assets of their wives and children, then how is it possible to hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable?”

The tweet from the minister had come a day after the Supreme Court in a detailed judgement observed that its June 19, 2020 direction to the tax authorities to investigate allegations against Sarina Isa, the wife of Justice Qazi Faez Isa, of not declaring three foreign properties in her name and her children and submit its findings to the Supreme Judicial Council (JDC) violated the principle of natural justice.

The apex court, by a majority of six to four, had overturned its June 19 majority order, rendering the exercise conducted by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) null and void as the fresh order set aside the verdict that authorised the FBR to evaluate and later impose tax liability on Mrs Isa for possessing three properties in the UK.

Commenting on the detailed judgement, Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farogh Naseem had in a TV talk show termed it a ‘contradictory judgement’, arguing that it would be called ‘double standards’ if judges and their families would not be inquired. With this decision, those holding public offices were under stress and jeopardy regarding accountability process. They [judgements] are precedents for the nation, he had added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani in a statement on Tuesday criticised the ministers and other government functionaries for issuing statements about the judiciary and termed it a continuation of the federal government’s policy of taking and bringing into disrepute institutions of the state.

Mr Rabbani regretted that the government and its functionaries on various occasions had spared no effort in attacking judges of the superior judiciary when judgements delivered had not been to the government’s agenda.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2022