Verdicts have to be justified when against Constitution: Marriyum Aurangzeb

RAWALPINDI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said when the verdicts are against the Constitution, then they have to be justified.

The minister said the decision in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan's case stated that there was no wrongdoing in him having an offshore company, which shows two sides of the law. 

The Supreme Court on Friday had disqualified PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen but ruled in favour of chairperson Imran Khan in its judgment on the disqualification case against the two party leaders. 

She added that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's statement should not be taken as being against any institution.

The minister for information also said decisions, such as the one taken on July 28, create hurdles for development and progress.

"When decisions such as July 28 come, it affects the progress of a country."

She also questioned why the same benchmark was not followed in Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan's case, as one was "disqualified over and iqama and the other who had an offshore company was let go".

Aurangzeb added that giving a statement in one's defence does not mean that there is a clash with institutions. 

The three-member bench had reserved the verdict in the disqualification petition against the two PTI leaders on November 14.

The chief justice ruled that Imran is not disqualified as a parliamentarian as the petitioner was not directly affected in the foreign funding case.

The court also ruled that the ECP will impartially investigate the foreign funding claims against the PTI chief by scrutinising accounts up till five years ago.

The judgment states that Imran wasn't bound to declare his offshore company, declared his London flat in an amnesty scheme and that his former wife Jemima gave Imran the funds for buying the Bani Gala estate.