ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened an ‘emergency’ moot of the federal cabinet on Monday night (tonight) amid a deepening political and judicial crisis in the country. It is expected that several important decisions would be taken in the meeting, a local TV reported.
The meeting was summoned as the apex court has reserved the ruling in the case about the delay in Punjab polls after hearing arguments from the Election Commission of Pakistan, PTI, and Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan.
Ahead of the hearing on Monday, the coalition government requested, through Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Awan, the formation of a full court bench to hear the case. However, it was ruled out by the 3-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Atta Bandial.
The Court also did not hear the arguments of lawyers of the different political parties, part of the ruling coalition.
Meeting’s background
Earlier, Federal Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said that if the Supreme Court (SC) hastily ruled on the sensitive and important issue of postponing the Punjab provincial elections, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would not accept it.
Speaking in the National Assembly session presided over by Speaker National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Law Minister, said that the Supreme Court had a long consultation with the ruling coalition. The government has requested to be made a party in the case, and it submitted an application in this regard six days ago. It demanded to bring transparency in the proceedings of the Supreme Court.
He said that when the representatives of the political parties appeared in the Court today, it was disliked. The order of the Supreme Court existed, but it was suspended by executive order. Therefore, the legal circles are worried.
The minister said that despite expressing no confidence in the ruling coalition, the bench carried the matter forward. “Our lawyers requested to form a bench that is acceptable to all,” he said, adding, “The decision of four judges against three has come. Now, our objections should be addressed before the hearing is started, but were are not being made a party despite continuous requests.”
Law minister on differences in SC
Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said that voices are being raised from within the institution of the judiciary, but these are being ignored. The Attorney General requested to form a 6-member bench of judges who were not part of the bench before. Now it is said that the verdict has been reserved and will be announced tomorrow.
“The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial also said today that political parties should solve the problem themselves; I will ask the Chief Justice to fix their house first and hear the voices coming from there,” the law minister added.
