Violators of SC Nov 3 order to be punished

FAISALABAD - Deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said the judiciary had played the role of second fiddle for the dictators' convenience in the past, but now the time has changed. All persons deviating from the Supreme Court's November 3 decision against PCO and emergency by showing allegiance to a dictator would be prosecuted irrelevant of their status.

Spotlighting the dark history of the judiciary in Pakistan, he said Justice Munir was the first who opened a door for dictators by introducing 'doctrine of necessity', while the same principle was followed in cases of Nusrat Bhutto and Zafar Ali Shah. The judges bowed before dictators' wishes and validated their unconstitutional steps.

Addressing lawyers convention at Faisalabad District Bar Association in wee hours of Sunday while it was raining, he made it clear that now the time had changed as no individual would dare trample the Constitution in future under his feet or the judiciary would come forward to appease him because from now onward there would be rule of law and supremacy of constitution in the country.

According to CJP, the Constitution keeps a nation united. The nation, which deviates from this fundamental document is wiped off the world map. He said it was the primary obligation of all institutions including Parliament not to indemnify extra-constitutional steps, adding that November 3 steps had pushed the entire nation into deep crisis.