Meetings should be held with heads of institutions but there's time for it: Shah

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah while reacting to a meeting between the prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan Wednesday said that had the meeting been necessary, then it should have been held at a place, where it could not have come into public notice.

On Tuesday evening, a one-on-one meeting between PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Justice Saqib Nisar at the Supreme Court building took the media by surprise.

In a statement following the two-hour-long meeting, the Supreme Court spokesperson said the prime minister expressed keen interest in providing all possible assistance in revamping the judicial system of Pakistan as visualised by the chief justice. 

PM Abbasi pledged full support for public interest litigation initiatives undertaken by the chief justice, and assured that all necessary steps will be taken to materialise Justice Nisar's vision with respect to free education, public health, and improvements in government hospitals, said the statement.

In one-on-one meeting, PM backs CJP's vision of judicial reforms

Meeting was requested by Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi

The opposition leader, however, said that meetings should be held with heads of the institutions, but there's a time for it. He also questioned as to who should act for resolution of issues, adding that the judiciary can't directly get things implemented.

Asked about his response to the opposition leader's statement from a day earlier in which he said the meeting would fuel speculation, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (retd) Safdar said: "Are suspicions not raised when they themselves go to meet?

"At times they call on individuals at some temple in Chakwal, while on other occasions they see them somewhere in Sindh," Safdar remarked. "Shah ji! We didn't mind your meetings, but you mind it when we meet for the sake of nation."

He said the meetings should keep taking place if there exist internal and external threats to the state.

"The prime minister is the leader of the masses and this has to be done when 220 million people are in a state of confusion," the PML-N leader explained.

Safdar said that it was very good that the meeting took place, noting that 2018 is the year of elections.

In his response, State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the PML-N leadership and Nawaz Sharif were not aware of the meeting in advance.