Judges cannot be called by the Privileges Committee, according to Elahi.
Ex-Punjab CM claims the current caretaker government has filed an unprecedented number of “false cases” against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its leadership.
Ex-Chief Minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said on Thursday in LAHORE that the Privileges Committee lacked the authority to call a judge to task or bring their cases to light.
The former CM made the remarks in connection to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s speech the day before in the National Assembly, in which he launched trenchant criticism against supreme court judges, labelling their order on financing for Punjab elections a “insult to the parliament.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal said it was time to draw a line in the sand, and since a breach of parliamentary privilege had occurred, the subject should be investigated by the House Privileges Committee.
Elahi also criticised the Sharifs in an interview with the media after attending the hearing for his pre-arrest bail petition in an alleged corruption case.
He claimed, “The PML-N does politics of revenge,” and that “their [PML-N’s] entire politics relies upon political victimisation.”
The ex-chief minister went on to say that throughout his time in office, he did not file any criminal charges against PML-N officials. Elahi argued that the “present caretaker setup broke all records” by filing a large number of fabricated charges against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its leadership.
He also defended his decision to join the deposed government party.
Legal Procedural Steps
Judge Ali Raza of the anti-corruption court postponed ruling on Elahi’s pre-arrest bail application until April 28 in the alleged Rs125 million corruption case during today’s hearings.
Elahi, his son Moonis Elahi, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, and others were charged by the Punjab anti-corruption bureau of taking Rs125 million in bribes from a foreign business through the Lahore Waste Management business in exchange for an unpaid payment.
Here’s more on the impending conflict in Punjab:
Elahi himself pocketed Rs65 million in kickbacks while the remaining Rs60 million was split among the others. According to the government agency, a first information report (FIR) was filed against the suspects based on sufficient evidence.
Elahi’s attorney, Amjad Pervez, argued that the anti-corruption case brought against his client was “false and fabricated” as the trial began.
He also noted that the case’s primary accused, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, had been exonerated by a court.
The judge deferred rendering a ruling after hearing both sides in great detail.
