ISLAMABAD: Amid a relentless tussle between Pakistan’s state institutions, the country’s National Assembly on Thursday rejected through a resolution the Supreme Court’s verdict directing the government to hold elections next month in Punjab, the country’s most populous province governed by a caretaker setup.
On April 4, a three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had nullified the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to delay elections in Punjab from April 30 to October 8 and fixed May 14 as the day for polls in the province.
The governing coalition parties in the lower house of parliament urged PM Shehbaz Sharif not to abide by the apex court’s ruling.
The resolution against the SC verdict was prepared collectively by coalition parties of the incumbent government and moved by Khalid Magsi, a Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) legislator who is considered one of the military’s pawns in parliament.
“This House rejects the decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision,” the lawmaker said, reading out the statement on the floor of the House. He stated the House considers conducting general elections simultaneously across the country as the solution to all the problems.
The NA expressed concern over “interference in political matters”, saying such judgments were creating anarchy in the country and paving the way for division in the federating units.
MNA Mohsin Leghari of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while opposing the resolution, warned that the House was treading a dangerous path and asked: “Are we committing contempt of court?”
“The constitution prohibits speaking against the judiciary in the House,” the PTI leader maintained. He added that in passing the resolution the house has “collectively committed contempt of court” and warned that a “war” with the SC would be “very dangerous”.
Pakistan’s political crisis, which started last year with Imran Khan’s ouster as PM, has engulfed all key stakeholders — government, opposition, executive, the military establishment and the judiciary. The country’s generals, judges, politicians and bureaucrats have been consumed by power struggles.The ongoing struggle between the government and the top judiciary, which itself is divided into camps, is currently at its peak.
The government’s reluctance to implement the SC’s ruling on polls in Punjab has now sparked a serious constitutional crisis, with numerous experts suggesting an amendment to the constitution before elections as the only remedy to correct the wrong.
On April 4, a three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had nullified the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to delay elections in Punjab from April 30 to October 8 and fixed May 14 as the day for polls in the province.
The governing coalition parties in the lower house of parliament urged PM Shehbaz Sharif not to abide by the apex court’s ruling.
The resolution against the SC verdict was prepared collectively by coalition parties of the incumbent government and moved by Khalid Magsi, a Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) legislator who is considered one of the military’s pawns in parliament.
“This House rejects the decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision,” the lawmaker said, reading out the statement on the floor of the House. He stated the House considers conducting general elections simultaneously across the country as the solution to all the problems.
The NA expressed concern over “interference in political matters”, saying such judgments were creating anarchy in the country and paving the way for division in the federating units.
MNA Mohsin Leghari of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while opposing the resolution, warned that the House was treading a dangerous path and asked: “Are we committing contempt of court?”
“The constitution prohibits speaking against the judiciary in the House,” the PTI leader maintained. He added that in passing the resolution the house has “collectively committed contempt of court” and warned that a “war” with the SC would be “very dangerous”.
Pakistan’s political crisis, which started last year with Imran Khan’s ouster as PM, has engulfed all key stakeholders — government, opposition, executive, the military establishment and the judiciary. The country’s generals, judges, politicians and bureaucrats have been consumed by power struggles.The ongoing struggle between the government and the top judiciary, which itself is divided into camps, is currently at its peak.
The government’s reluctance to implement the SC’s ruling on polls in Punjab has now sparked a serious constitutional crisis, with numerous experts suggesting an amendment to the constitution before elections as the only remedy to correct the wrong.