Burden on courts to deliver justice that is visible: PM Abbasi

LONDON: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that justice must be seen to be done and this is a “great burden” on the shoulders of Pakistan’s judiciary in the case of former premier Nawaz Sharif, who is facing National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases against under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.

Speaking to media at Heathrow airport here, PM Abbasi said that courts deliver justice through their behaviour and actions and it’s on the courts to prove how they deliver justice. “It’s the first step towards delivery of justice that justice must not only be done but seen to be done.”

He was asked by a reporter that there are speculations that Nawaz will not be able to get justice from the NAB courts, for they are under pressure from the Supreme Court, which disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister.

Abbasi has previously said that his party leader Nawaz Sharif didn’t get fair trial at the Supreme Court, which disqualified him on the basis of ‘Iqama (employment contract).’

The prime minister arrived here on Friday afternoon to attend "Future of Pakistan 2017" conference where he will make a keynote speech on the country. He said that there is optimism in Pakistan and issues faced by the government will be dealt with.

The "Future of Pakistan 2017", a flagship conference of the Pakistan Development Society, has been organised in collaboration with the South Asia Centre at the London School of Economics to bring together academics, politicians and professionals to debate the directions in which Pakistan is progressing, and the impact of government initiatives and policies on its citizens and future.

Speaking about the conference this year, President of the LSE Pakistan Development Society and lead organizer, Omer Azhar Bhatti, said the main purpose of the event was to "provide student interaction with top-level academics, policy-makers, and the senior political brass of Pakistan."

Omer explained: “The conference this year is crucial because it brings together for the first time prominent PPP and PML-N leaders together at LSE, a world-renowned institution that is known for the value it adds to productive discourse, the development of research agendas, and growth of ideas. Senator Sherry Rehman and Mr Qamar Zaman Kaira will speak at the same venue as Mr Miftah Ismail (Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on economic affairs) and Senator Abdul Qayyum. Prominent journalists will engage speakers in topics as different yet crucial as the current tussles in Pakistan, methods to strengthen democracy, build a longer-term development agenda, and Pakistan's relations with foreign powers.”

“The organisers of the conference believe that at least some of the ideas exchanged at this international forum will find their way into formal policy and political thinking in due course,” he said.

Omer said that highlight of the conference this year is the keynote address and Q&A between LSE students and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

“Mr Abbasi's participation has been made possible through the relentless efforts of the South Asia Centre, who have forefronted the idea of developing an alternative research agenda for Pakistan at LSE,” he said.

“The prime minister is expected to make a major announcement regarding the establishment of a long-term research programme focused on Pakistan at the South Asia Centre.”

Omer Bhatti thanked Communications Research Strategies and the Pakistan High Commission in London for helping the LSE to organise this conference. 

He said: “It is the biggest, student-run, Pakistan-focused international conference in Europe.”