Want to know who masterminded Faizabad sit-in: CJP Faez Isa
Islamabad: (Suno News) Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday rejected the government’s fact-finding committee formed to investigate and identify the handlers of the 2017 Faizabad sit-in and declared it illegal.
The CJP also ordered the government to constitute a new inquiry commission to investigate the matter.
A three-member SC bench, headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, heard the case. The bench also comprised Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah.
During the hearing of the case, the CJP remarked that Absar Alam [Pemra ex-chairman] had levelled serious allegations against an employee of the Ministry of Defence.
The attorney general told the CJP that the government had seen the allegations levelled by Absar Alam and formed a fact-finding committee, adding that the committee would review all aspects and submit a report.
The CJP said to the attorney general that nothing happened by forming the committee and only reports came.
“Everyone including you is saying that the Faizabad sit-in judgement is right. Forming a committee is like throwing dust in the eyes,” the CJP talked to the attorney general.
“Will all the responsible parties be held accountable in the TORs made by the committee?” the CJP questioned
“The entire country had been held hostage by one party. The government does not have the capability to investigate. Even the children can give better answers than you,” he remarked.
Justice Athar Minallah questioned whether the affairs of the state were being run according to the Constitution.
“In the sit-in case, the court gave the entire history. We asked who was responsible for the sit-in. The government has not made a single TOR of the committee correct. The government wants everyone to be held responsible and no action should be taken against anyone,” the CJP remarked.
“Billions of rupees have been lost, but the government does not care. We will not review the committee report. The additional secretary is part of the interior committee. What can he do?” he added.
“How many bridges were destroyed? How much damage was done? Who will see all this?” he questioned.
“Under what law and by whom was the committee constituted? What is the legal status of the government’s fact-finding committee?” Justice Athar Minallah questioned.
“The government has formed the committee only for investigations. The committee will give recommendations along with the report,” the attorney general told the court.
“The fact-finding committee is just a piece of paper. A country cannot be run with a piece of paper. Tell us under which rules of business and under which law the committee was formed,” the CJP questioned.
“A person was imported from abroad and paralysed the whole country. The way the government wants to run things will not happen. The court will declare that the government has not done anything in the Faizabad sit-in case,” he remarked.
“We want to know who the mastermind of the Faizabad sit-in was. The government should say directly that it does not want to work. When those who take the law into their hands will be punished, people will learn a lesson,” he emphasised.
On October 27, 2023, the federal government formed a fact-finding committee to investigate and identify those responsible for the tumultuous events surrounding the 2017 Faizabad sit-in.
The fact-finding committee was to implement the decision of the Supreme Court on February 6, 2019, in the Faizabad sit-in case.
The additional secretary (home), additional secretary (defence), and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director were made part of the committee.
The committee had been tasked with identifying the handlers of the sit-in, reviewing all the documents, records, and evidence and recording the statements of the witnesses.
The committee was to submit a report with its recommendations.
