LONDON: Ex-prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has “rejected” the Supreme Court’s verdict nullifying the ECP’s decision to postpone Punjab polls, calling for submitting a reference against the SC bench, local media reported on Tuesday.
After the Supreme Court’s order, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif said the nation had been going through difficult times and sought a reference against three-member bench of the Supreme Court in the Supreme Judicial Council.
Addressing a pressing conference, Nawaz Sharif demanded that a reference should be filed against “the judges” in the Supreme Judicial Council for a ‘partisan judgment”. “All was being done to bring one person [Imran Khan] back to power,” he claimed. He said that these three judges had issued decisions against him in the past.
Supreme Court and ECP
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday declared the ECP’s March 22 order on the Punjab poll null and void. A three-member bench of the SC announced the reserved decision on the PTI’s petition challenging the ECP’s order postponing the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The apex court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order postponing the elections in Punjab until October 8 as “unconstitutional” and asked the government to release 21 billion rupees funds for polls in Punjab by April 10.
The top court issued directives to conduct polls in Punjab on May 14. The Supreme Court further directed the interim government in Punjab province to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan. The decision read, “The court will issue a suitable directive in case of non-provision of funds,” the verdict read.
