Fawad Chaudhry announces to file contempt case against Marriyum Aurangzeb

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry said that he would file a contempt of court petition against Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The information minister, while passing remarks on the sudden development in connection with the elections delay case, said that the circular issued by the Supreme Court registrar was the "decision of one person". 

In the circular, the top court said that it would continue hearing the case after Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail recused himself from the proceedings -- a second recusal after Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan who excused himself from the case just moments before the fifth hearing of the case on March 30, citing an order from a three-member bench headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

On March 29, the Justice Isa-led bench ordered the postponement of cases being heard under Article 184(3) of the Constitution till the amendments made in the Supreme Court Rules 1980 regarding the discretionary powers of the chief justice to form benches.

"Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is browbeating and threatening the judiciary of Pakistan," the PTI leader said, while briefing the media after a meeting of the party's core committee on Friday.

The PTI leader slammed Nawaz Sharif who called in question the validity and legitimacy of the [upcoming] verdict by the three-member bench. Sharif, addressing a press conference in London on Friday, pointed out that two judges on the bench had previously decided against him. He questioned how a verdict delivered by this bench could be accepted when the bench itself was unacceptable to him. 

Reacting to Nawaz Sharif's refusal of a verdict from three Supreme Court judges, the PTI leader asked Nawaz Sharif to also refuse the top court's verdict by three judges which became the foundation of the Shehbaz Sharif government.

Fawad Chaudhry said that his party favours and believes in negotiations with other political parties. However, he maintained that it takes two to clap. "If any serious negotiations are held, we will go forward," he said.

On March 28, PTI chief Imran Khan — going against his traditional stance against sitting with political parties in the incumbent government — said he was ready to partake in all kinds of all-parties conferences (APC) for “upholding the Constitution”.

Fawad further said, "If the situation in Pakistan is to be set in order, then we will have to think beyond victimisation." He also noted that his party has no objection to Nawaz Sharif's return to Pakistan.

Fawad Chaudhry said that a recent amendment is aimed at curtailing the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The PTI leader was referring to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 which Senate approved on March 30 to limit chief justice of Pakistan’s discretionary powers to take suo motu notice.

The PTI leader said that the powers of the caretaker governments will expire at the end of April 30.