Strength of judiciary’s decisions lies in impartiality, says Rana Sana

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Friday that the strength of the judiciary’s decisions lay in impartiality, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

While speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he said: “The most senior judges of the Supreme Court (SC) say they do not believe in this court.”

He added: “Justice Qazi Faez Isa has said he does not believe in this court. The situation in the Supreme Court is being commented on. It is not in the powers of the court to decide against the law.”

He said that two senior lawyers had met Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. “Both lawyers have played their innings. In the meeting with Imran Khan, they decided what new challenge should be staged,” he added.

Rana Sana stated that after meeting Imran Khan, the two senior lawyers had also met the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

“The law has not been enacted yet, and there is yet no authority of giving a stay on it,” he emphasised.

“The strength of the judiciary’s decisions lies in impartiality. ‘Baba Rehmatah’ is facing humiliation at this time,” he added.

“The people who made such decisions are a lesson to be learned today. Decisions should be made on the basis of justice,” he asserted.

“No bench has been formed on the issue of the election date,” he stated and added that the defence installations had been attacked on May 9.

281 families fear relatives died in boat disaster off Greece

While commenting on the Greece boat incident, the interior minister said that only 12 Pakistanis had survived the accident. “700 people were on board the boat which could carry 400 people only. The number of Pakistanis who died in the incident is 350,” he said.

“The prime minister has formed a committee on the issue. The noose around human traffickers is being tightened,” he claimed.

“So far, DNA samples of 193 families have been taken. 281 families have contacted the government,” he added.

More than 280 Pakistani families fear they had relatives who drowned when a migrant boat sank off Greece last week, making it one of Pakistan's worst man-made disasters, Rana Sanaullah told Parliament..

Rana Sanaullah told legislators that "so far 281 Pakistani families have contacted us and said that their children may be victims of this accident".

Twelve Pakistanis were among the survivors and Sanaullah estimated that "about 350 Pakistanis were on board".

"Perhaps there has never been such a large toll in any incident before, even in terrorist incidents," he said.

Pakistan is in the grip of a staggering economic downturn that saps families' purses and spurs illegal migration, mostly by young men who hope to get a financial foothold in Europe and send cash home.

The routes they take vary greatly. Some pay for legal transport to North Africa and take their chances from there, voyaging onwards by sea. Others attempt to go overland through Iran and Turkey.

Dodging border guards and police and moving through different jurisdictions with limited funds means that communication with families is often patchy, making it difficult to determine their exact movements.

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is collecting DNA samples from the families in a bid to link them to the remains recovered from the wreck, with 193 blood and hair samples taken so far.

But the number of missing far outweighs the number of bodies recovered, diminishing hope for grieving families who are overwhelmingly from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and eastern Punjab province.

"We should at least get the dead bodies so that the parents and relatives can get peace of mind," said Zafar Iqbal, 55, who reported losing two nephews in the incident.

"The government should at least complete the investigation as soon as possible," he told AFP from Bandli village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Punjab and Pakistan-administered Kashmir host a thriving black market of what locals call "agents" -- human smugglers who arrange illegal migration to Europe for a large fee.

An FIA official in Islamabad told AFP on Friday that "so far 25 agents have been arrested".

"Raids are being conducted against the human traffickers and the investigation is ongoing," the official said.