ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated his government’s commitment to overcoming challenges for the sake of the country’s progress, during a meeting with coalition parties in Islamabad.
He praised the unprecedented unity of the coalition parties, which has become a source of concern for the opposition parties. Despite differences on certain matters, the parties have remained united to face challenges inherited from the previous government, he said.
Referring to the ongoing controversy over the court verdict on general elections in Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif criticized the decision of the three-member bench, which granted a stay on the implementation of a law before its promulgation, and argued that it was contrary to the norms of justice.
The coalition parties are striving to take the struggle of overcoming the current challenges to a logical end, despite all odds, he added.
The International Monetary Fund’s agreement is in the final phase, with the last conditionality being to make deposits, he said. Shehbaz Sharif praised the efforts of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir for the success of the process.
The prime minister also told participants of his next telephonic conversation with new Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the last week of April, during which they would discuss matters of mutual interest.
SC bars government from implementing judicial reform bill
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has barred the government from implementing the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, to curtail the suo motu powers of the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. An eight-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, took up a set of three petitions challenging the bill.
In a written order, the apex court deemed the bill an “interference with and intrusion into the judiciary’s independence.” The order stated that while the bill is not yet law, it is what will have the force of law when the act comes into being, adding that it could be considered and examined even at this stage.
