Islamabad (Web Desk): Former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar on Monday said that the Supreme Court (SC) never declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan as "completely sadiq and ameen" (truthful and honest).
According to senior journalist Adil Shahzad, the former CJP, in a conversation with him, made a reference to a controversy surrounding rulings during his tenure on Article 62(1) (f), a clause under which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court while Imran was not.
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“Imran Khan was declared Sadiq and Amin on three points. Akram Sheikh had only asked for a verdict on the points he gave against Khan. Khan was found Sadiq and Amin on those three points,” Justice (retd) Nisar said.
"I did not declare Imran Khan completely sadiq and ameen which was then politicised," the former CJP added, saying that his judgment was "still available for anyone to verify this".
It is pertinent to mention that a three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab, December 2017 had found Imran Khan, to be honest, but disqualified PTI’s general secretary Jahangir Tareen. Abbasi had sought the disqualification of Imran and Tareen on various grounds.
In its verdict, the top court accepted the PTI chief's stance on the purchase of Bani Gala land as well as the establishment of his offshore company.
The decision remains one of the several controversies that have surrounded the discrepancies found in exercising quo warranto jurisdiction by the top court and high courts against lawmakers to examine their qualifications after elections.
Meanwhile, Mian Saqib Nisar has claimed that his account on the instant messaging platform WhatsApp has been hacked and expressed reservations that his data may be used to twist facts for political purposes.
The former CJP said that interfering in someone’s private life falls under theft.
He stressed that hacking social media accounts and retrieving data in such a manner fall under theft.
Speaking on the political turmoil that persists in the country, Mian Saqib Nisar said that he believed the only solution to it all was elections.
"In 2018 several attempts were made to block polls which were ultimately rendered unsuccessful", he said.
"I may have made many wrong decisions but why are those not followed which I had made for the betterment of the country?" he questioned as he maintained that the country's biggest issues were water and clean air.
The former CJP added that this would be his last interview and that he was working on a book that would be published after his death revealing all facts regarding his career.
