CJ to avoid hearing NRO case: Aitzaz

LAHORE - Former President Supreme Court Bar Association, (SCBA) Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan told a press conference here on Monday that the restored Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would prefer to avoid sitting on the Bench, hearing the case against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) for the reason, some beneficiaries of the Ordinance had expressed reservations about hearing of this case by him through their statements. With reference to those reservations, he said, it is a tradition that he should avoid hearing the case in that matter. He referred to Justice Wajihuddin case pertaining to the candidature of General Pervez Musharraf for election to the presidential office in uniform and said that, Justice Chaudhry then had stayed away from presiding over the Bench. The reason was that as the episode of criminal reference moved by Pervez Musharraf against him stood in the background, the proprietary demanded that he should not head that 11-member Bench to hear that case. And he did so. Justice should, not only, be done, but should be seen to be done, he added. He hoped that the Judiciary under Justice Chaudhry would not follow that tradition which the ‘Dogar Court’ did.
To a question on the review petition against the SC verdict on the disqualification of Sharif brothers, he said, as per the Supreme Court rules only that Bench which has decided the main appeal can review the matter. As such, Justice Chaudhry also cannot sit on that Bench but he is committed to administer justice to everyone.