New book tells of Sharif's anathema to judge

Islamabad: Exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was streets ahead of President Pervez Musharraf insofar as their distaste for the judiciary is concerned.

"Nawaz Sharif wanted to arrest the then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Sajjad Ali Shah, and put him in jail at least for a night, if not for a longer period," one of his erstwhile cabinet members revealed in his memoirs.

"Not only this, Nawaz Sharif also wanted to summon the Chief Justice of Pakistan before the National Assembly's privileges committee in total disregard of provisions, but luckily he had a good advisor who warned him against such a move.

"However, his lust for unbridled power saw him later show the door to the Chief Justice through his influence among judges of the apex court," wrote Gohar Ayub, in his book Glimpses into the Corridors of Power, which is to be launched today.

"Gohar sahib, show me a way to arrest the chief justice and keep him in jail for a night," Gohar, a senior politician, writes about Nawaz's plan in his book.

Son of the country's first military ruler, General Ayub Khan, Gohar, was foreign minister during Nawaz's second term, when he was approached with the unique problem.

Gohar had served as Speaker of the National Assembly during Sharif's previous regime.

Giving details about the plot, Gohar writes that he was first asked to provide guidance on having Sajjad Shah summoned before the privileges committee before being sent to jail.

"The tussle between Nawaz Sharif and the chief justice was reaching its peak. I got a call from the prime minister on November 5, 1997 asking me to come and see him in his chamber in the National Assembly," Gohar writes.

"When I arrived, I found members of the privileges committee (Nawabzada Iqbal Mehdi and others) present in the cabinet room. I told them that the rules did not provide for such a drastic step. I have prepared the rules as Speaker. No, you cannot summon him and, if you make the mistake of doing so, he will disregard your summons. The committee and the PM will be insulted," Gohar recounts.