Constitutional impasse? PM meets lawyers at his Model Town residence

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday held meetings with PML-N leaders and legal experts at his Lahore’s Model Town residence.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, SAPM Malik Ahmad and AGP Mansoor Awan met with PM Shehbaz Sharif, sources said.

According to sources, the meeting discussed the prevailing political situation in the country and legal issues regarding Supreme Court hearing on polls delay.

PM, Fazl discuss political situation

The federal coalition has already expressed complete no-confidence in the three-member bench, calling upon the court to discontinue the proceedings of the case forthwith.

The meeting declared that there would be no talks with PTI chief Imran Khan on a date for elections and pledged to take the fight to any level, refusing to budge from its stated position on the issue. They announced that no elections before October 2023.

It is pertinent to mentioned here that the constitutional crisis in Pakistan deepened as the ruling coalition in the Centre, led by PML-N, hinted that it would not accept the decision of the three-member SC bench hearing the polls delay case.

The government considering filing a reference against three judges of Supreme Court (SC), including the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, who are hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition against delay in elections of Punjab Assembly.

The interior minister had already said that the matter of the filing of a reference against three judges – CJP Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar was under discussion but there has been no decision on it yet.

As the three judges rejected the request for a full court bench and “refused to accept the stance of their fellow judges.

The Supreme Court, in an appeal filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf challenging the postponement of elections till October 8 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), constituted a five-member bench and after the recusal of the two judges was left with three judges who would continue to hold proceedings on Monday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023