By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The rift between Pakistan’s judiciary and government has deepened as the parliament rejected the Supreme Court’s decision on Punjab elections case and demanded a full court to decide the dispute.
Previously, the apex court had set May 14 as the new date for the elections to the Punjab Assembly, overturning the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to extend the polls from April 10 to October 8.
It also ordered the government to release funds worth Rs21 billion rupee to the election authorities for the voting and told it to update the court by April 11.
In response, the coalition government rejected the decision, while the ECP issued a revised schedule to hold the election in line with the verdict.
The latest development saw the National Assembly pass a resolution to reject the decision of the apex court, calling on the Prime Minister and the federal cabinet not to implement the ruling as it contradicts the constitution.
The resolution, proposed by Balochistan Awami Party lawmaker Khalid Magsi, was adopted by the lower house.
Magsi stated that the house rejects the minority decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision.
“This house rejects the minority decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision,” Magsi said as he read out the resolution.
The speaker, in a live broadcast, said a motion was adopted by a majority of lawmakers to reject the court decision by a three member panel headed by the chief justice and to demand a full court panel consisting of all judges hear the case.
The resolution expressed concerns over interference in political matters and stated that the judgments of the minority are creating anarchy in the country and paving the way for division in the federating units.
It said the house considers the conduct of general elections simultaneously across the country as the solution to all the problems. It noted this is in accordance with the procedure laid down in the law and Constitution for political and economic stability.
It also demanded the formation of a full court of the Supreme Court to review it, highlighting concerns over the wrong interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution.
A day earlier Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the court’s decision as a mockery of the Constitution and law and claimed it could not be implemented.
The prime minister’s stance was supported by the National Assembly, highlighting the bitter divide over the date of the Punjab elections.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been advocating for early polls and calling for the national assembly to be dissolved, with general elections called in the country instead of delaying the Punjab elections.
The resolution has exposed the political fault lines and the threat of further instability in the country as the tug-of-war between the judiciary and executive branches has now drawn in parliament.
The resolution emphasized the importance of conducting general elections simultaneously across the country in accordance with the procedure laid down in the law and constitution for political and economic stability.
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