Protesting the Supreme Court’s decision to continue the hearing on the Punjab chief minister's election with the current three-member bench, the ruling coalition has decided to boycott the hearing scheduled to be held on Tuesday, Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) leadership announced.
The development comes after the apex court rejected the ruling coalition’s plea to form a full bench for hearing the case of the Punjab chief minister’s election and review its interpretation of Article 63-A.
It was decided in a PDM parties’ huddle at the Prime Minister’s House that started soon after the top court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.
Punjab CM re-election: SC rejects coalition govt’s request for full court bench
Senior political figures and members of the government, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazl Rehman, Chairman of the PPP, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were in attendance.
Along with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other senior PML-N figures, leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, the Awami National Party, the Balochistan Awami Party, and the Balochistan National Party are also present at the huddle.
The coalition meeting made the decision to stand firm in its demand for a full court and to determine its future course of action in light of the apex court's ruling.
Earlier, the top rejected the coalition government’s request to form a full court bench and journed the hearing till 11:30 am tomorrow (Tuesday).
According to the verdict, the three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, will hear PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi's petition, challenging Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari’s controversial ruling in the chief minister’s re-election, tomorrow.
During the course of the hearing, Justice Bandial remarked that the head of a political party will "also have to listen to the parliamentary party’s opinion", as the hearing of the petition lodged by PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi against Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari remained underway.
When the hearing resumed on Monday, the top court barred PDM leaders from entering the court premises and only allowed leaders of respondent parties inside the court - that too with the permission of the SC administration.
Elahi's filed a petition in wee hours of Saturday after a ruling by the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker led to his defeat in Punjab CM election and Hamza Shehbaz's re-appointment as the province's chief executive. Subsequently, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman administered the oath on Saturday to Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, heard the case on Saturday and after prolonged proceedings, adjourned it for Monday and appointed Hamza “Trustee CM” till then.
While Hamza Shehbaz took oath as CM Punjab, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial stated that the oath does not matter in front of the court and SC would see the matters in the light of the constitution.
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