Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has likened ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to a military dictator who ran a "parallel government" and tried to impose "judicial martial law".
"Iftikhar Chaudhry acted like a military dictator by removing me from premiership unlawfully," Gilani told PTI, days after the activist judge's retirement.
"There was no difference between a chief justice and a dictator after my removal from prime ministership. History will remember Justice Chaudhry as a dictator who undermined the parliament and strengthened the anti-democratic forces," he said.
Chaudhry had forced Gilani to step down in 2012 after he refused to implement the Supreme Court's orders to revive graft cases in Switzerland against then President Asif Ali Zardari.
"He actually was running a parallel government and there was no difference between his acts and the acts of military dictators. He tried to impose judicial martial law in Pakistan," the former premier said.
Gilani said it was not the decision of the Supreme Court to send an elected prime minister home but of an individual who acted like a dictator and wanted to run the government the way he wanted.
"Justice Chaudhry did not follow Pakistan's Constitution in my case. I followed the constitution by not writing a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against then president Asif Ali Zardari," Gilani said.
"I told Chaudhry categorically that I would not follow any unconstitutional order as the president enjoyed immunity under section 248 of the constitution. But the Chief Justice made it a matter of his ego and himself violated the constitution by disqualifying me," he said.
The former premier said, "Iftikhar Chaudhry should have been thankful to me for restoring him and other judges. Repeating the history, he (Chaudhry) stabbed in the back of his mohsin (well-wisher)."
Gilani regretted there was no space for the politicians as the "army holds half space and remaining half has been held by judiciary while politicians are only for abusing in Pakistan.
