Maryam says top court 'turmoil' supports PML-N 'bench-fixing' narrative

Soon after two Supreme Court judges cast aspersions over Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial's power, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Monday their judgement backed her party’s narrative on "bench-fixing".

“If the constitution of the [Supreme Court] bench is not fair, then how will the decision be considered fair?” she said while presiding over a meeting of PML-N spokespersons.

In an unusual development in the top court, two judges from the five-member larger bench — hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s petition over the postponement of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — raised questions over the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), saying the apex court “cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice”.

In a 27-page detailed ruling, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail pointed out that it is important “to revisit the power of ‘one-man show’ enjoyed by the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan".

The development came minutes after the country’s top court served notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan, adjourning the hearing on the Imran Khan-led party’s petition which challenged the ECP’s orders to put off Punjab Assembly elections till October 8.

Maryam, the scion of the Sharif family's political dynasty, asked her party’s members to expose Imran Khan’s facilitators in the judiciary with full force.

Her directives were endorsed in the party’s statement which read: “Unfair, vindictive decisions and testimonies against Nawaz Sharif decided to be brought before the public.”

According to a statement issued by the PML-N, all the "facts about Imran Khan and his facilitators should be brought before the public”.

Comparing the judiciary’s treatment of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to that of the PTI chairman, Maryam said: “Violation of the Constitution and law will be exposed in Nawaz Sharif’s case. Evidence of injustice with Nawaz Sharif is now surfacing.”

The party’s chief organiser added that the scales of justice should have been equal if justice exists.

Addressing her party’s spokespersons, the PML-N stalwart said that the PTI chief had become Pakistan’s past and it "is now time to think about the country’s future".

“Imran Khan wants to divert public attention from his corruption cases,” she said, highlighting that there are irrefutable pieces of evidence against Khan in various cases including those involving foreign funding, Toshakhana, and his alleged daughter Tyrion White.

Taking a jibe at the former ruling party for its time in power, the PML-N stalwart said that the economy was destroyed and people became poor in the last four years.

“Out of the one million jobs in the last four years, the people did not get a single job. Out of the 5 million homes, not a single one was given to the people,” she said slamming the previous Khan-led government.

Slamming the PTI chief’s 10-point agenda, which he presented during his party’s power show at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, Maryam said: “This is not a 10-point agenda, 10 lies have been uttered.”

Khan, in his speech in Lahore, presented a roadmap for the betterment of Pakistan which included overseas investment, enabling exporters, tourism, minerals, and agriculture, boosting small and medium industries, restructuring big corporations, expanding the tax net, ensuring rule of law and initiating humanitarian programmes.