The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday reiterated its demand of formation of a full bench hearing the petition filed by PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, criticising the courts of the country for “being biased” while blaming them for the ongoing political and economic turmoil in the country.
In a press conference, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Sharif stated that the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan shared partial blame for the sorry state of the economy.
“The verdict of SC on Panama case in 2017 and subsequent disqualification of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif led to the present destabilisation of Pakistan’s economy,” she said. “Court’s decision caused prolonged uncertainty in the country that continues to prevail till the present day.”
She lamented that from 2016 onward, courts were “surprisingly issuing verdicts against PML-N which set a chain of events in action and impacted the country.”
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The PML-N leader stressed that all verdicts, whether fair or unfair, have consequences.
She accused the establishment of “bench fixing” and termed it a crime. She explained that all cases lodged against PML-N were heard by anti PML-N judges.
“Contempt of court was wrongfully imposed on our party workers and they were disqualified due to it,” the PML-N leader said.
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Her comments came ahead of Supreme Court’s hearing of PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s petition that challenged Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari ruling during Punjab CM elections on Friday.
After the voting, Mazari scrapped 10 votes of PML-Q during the Punjab CM election and turned the tables in the favour of PML-N backed candidate Hamza Shehbaz. PML-Q’s PTI-backed candidate Parvez Elahi garnered 186 votes but lost the Punjab chief minister's seat to Hamza after Mazari nullified 10 votes on account of a letter received from PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat. Hamza received 179 votes.
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The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the petition till Monday (June 25). Moreover, the apex court also allowed Hamza Shehbaz to remain "trustee" Chief Minister of Punjab until Monday.
“PML-N won CM elections but PTI chose to approach the Supreme Court,” said Maryam. “When the court opened for PTI, Elahi did not even have the petition so the court waited for him to prepare it.”
She regretted that before a petition is lodged, the political parties already know the judges who would hear the case and they are able to guess the verdict beforehand.
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Maryam said during Senate elections in 2021, the then Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani rejected 6 votes of PML-N.
“When we approached the court, it ruled that Senate chairman’s order cannot be challenged,” she recalled. “However, this time around, the court summoned Mazari to explain his ruling. I ask why was former deputy speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri not summoned when he gave unconstitutional ruling in April 2022.”
She said that appointing Hamza a trustee CM was an absurd idea.
Hamza to act as ‘trustee’ CM till tomorrow: SC
According to her, Hamza had been going back and forth to courts ever since he became chief minister of Punjab and this was hindering his work.
Despite this, the chief justice claimed in a note that the state of Pakistan’s economy is abhorrent, she cited.
She questioned why judges remained silent when the country’s economy was being destroyed from 2018 to March 2022.
Speaking alongside Maryam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam President Fazl-ur-Rehman stated that overall stability in the country can mend the tumbling economy.
“We are not being given the chance because courts and intuitions are against us,” he cited.
According to him, Imran Khan was on verge of turning Pakistan's economy as bad as Sri Lanka "and we made his plan a failure. Now that we want to revive the economy, there is a need for courts, establishment and the government to be on the same page."
He cited interference in electoral process, whether soft or tough, was undemocratic.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto stated that the PDM was standing upright and it would boost democracy in Pakistan.
“We cannot digest that democracy is being turned into a joke and people are paying the cost,” he emphasised. “We want democratic institutions and we want to save the justice system. Therefore, we demand formation of a full bench in the Supreme Court to hear Elahi’s petition.”
He accused the courts of “amending constitution under Imran Khan’s pressure.”
He stated that PDM would accept the verdict of the apex court if a full bench hears the case.
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