August 11, 2024
Prime Minister's Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Sunday that delivering speeches was not the job of the Supreme Court; rather, their role was to dispense justice in accordance with the Constitution.
"The judiciary’s role is to implement the Constitution and laws enacted by Parliament, instead of engaging in personal interpretations," Sanaullah said during Geo News talk show Naya Pakistan.
His remarks come a day after senior puisne Judge Mansoor Ali Shah said that the SC verdicts cannot be disregarded or delayed or else the entire legal system will be disrupted.
"Making laws is the responsibility of Parliament, while the judiciary's job is to make decisions according to the Constitution and laws," the minister's adviser said.
Addressing a ceremony on Saturday, Justice Shah stressed that there had never been a case where an apex court verdict was not implemented, adding it would be "a violation of the Constitution" if SC rulings were not implemented.
"The balance of the Constitution will be disrupted if you seek non-implementation of judgments," the jurist said, addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, adding, "There is no choice but to comply with the Supreme Court’s orders."
"No one has the choice to call it [SC rulings] 'wrong' or 'not right'. The Constitution says that this is a judgment and it has to be implemented," Justice Shah said.
Replying to a question from the host Shahzad Iqbal, The PML-N minister lamented the lack of sports facilities for athletes.
"There is not a single sports complex in the entire country that houses facilities of international standards," he said as the country's ace javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem won a gold medal in men's event at the Paris Olympics.
"On the provincial level also, there should be such academies where coaching and facilities of world-level quality are available."
He further remarked that retired individuals often join boards and federations, but these people tend to idle in their positions with little interest in their work.
In response to a query about the intermittent internet slowdowns in the country, the politician suggested that internet service providers should be held accountable for the issue and not the government.