ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Monday asked the federal government to remove Dr Zaraf Mirza as state minister of health.
The Supreme Court (SC), while hearing a suo motu case on the corona virus crisis, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet has become ineffective in the fight against the pandemic.
CJP Gulzar also questioned the transparency of work done by Dr Mirza and remarked that there were some serious allegations against the team of special assistants to the prime minister.
The attorney general said that such observations by the SC would “only cause harm”. To this, the CJP replied that he is very careful in passing such remarks.
“The government has only provided census to the court,” CJP said.
“No country in the world was prepared to fight such a disease,” the attorney general replied.
The CJP questioned when the parliament would legislate on the crisis. “Rest of the countries have passed a law to deal with the emergency.”
“The state has other jobs rather than just holding rallies,” the CJP said.
“The prime minister’s cabinet has become ineffective. He seems distant from the rest. All the provinces are doing whatever they desire.”
Earlier on April 10, the CJP took his first suo motu notice since assuming the charge as the country’s top judge on the situation arising out of the corona virus crisis and the steps being taken by the federal government to curb its spread.
A five-member larger bench, headed by the chief justice, fixed the hearing of the case for today.
The development came after Justice Gulzar had expressed displeasure over the federal government’s measures to curb the corona virus spread.
“The government is just calling in meetings whereas no work is being done on the ground,” he had remarked while hearing a petition filed against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict in regard to releasing under trial prisoners (UTPs) in view of COVID-19 fears.
