ISLAMABAD: A 3-member bench of the Supreme Court will hear the case regarding elections in Punjab on Thursday at 11:30 am, local media reported on Wednesday. The Registrar Supreme Court has issued a new cause list in this regard. However, the CJP will only hear the case regarding elections in Punjab on Thursday.
It may be recalled that the SC bench, headed by CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial, was delisted on Wednesday. The Registrar’s Office said that all the cases scheduled for hearing before the bench have also been delisted. It stated that Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial could not come to the court due to illness.
The government and opposition activities have reached their peak ahead of the Supreme Court’s April 27 deadline on updating the apex court on the talks among the country’s political parties for finalizing an acceptable date for conducting of election in Punjab.
SC to hear case regarding elections in Punjab
The SC will hear the petitions pleading single-day elections to all national and provincial assemblies. During the last hearing, the apex court issued directives to the government and opposition parties to develop a consensus on the date for conducting elections.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also chaired a meeting of leaders of the ruling alliance known as PDM. As per local media reports, Shehbaz Sharif took the participants of the session into confidence on the present political situation of the country. The federal law minister and attorney general of Pakistan briefed the ruling alliance on constitutional and legal matters.
Some sections of the media reported that the Prime Minister stressed that parliament is the supreme institution and its decisions will also have to be accepted. On the occasion, the leaders of PDM were also briefed on the initial contacts established for talks with the PTI.
The participants of the meeting agreed to approach the parliament in case of any possible decision. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Aftab Khan Sherpao, and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui attended the meeting.
Similarly, Shehbaz Sharif addressed the federal cabinet and said that “it was not the domain of the SC to mediate among political parties” while saying the coalition government was determined and united on same-day elections. Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also held consultations with legal experts from the PML-N in Lahore about the petition being heard in the apex court to hold elections on the same day. Some reports suggest that PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi also held an informal meeting with the leadership of PML-N at the residence of former CM KP Pervaiz Khattak.
According to the local media, the Prime Minister said the parliament rejected the April 4 verdict of the apex court while saying the government supported the SC’s 4-3 verdict.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had on April 20 asked all leaders of political parties to initiate talks on elections that very day, and also update it on the progress by 4 pm; however, following in-chamber consultations, the Chief Justice of Pakistan adjourned the case till April 27.
