Maryam demands SC accept parliament's decision on elections

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Monday that the Supreme Court would have to accept parliament’s decision on the Punjab elections.

Addressing a workers' convention in Lahore to mark International Labour Day, Maryam, while referring to the Supreme Court’s three-member bench hearing the Punjab polls delay case, said the nation is eagerly awaiting the top court’s verdict.

"You will have to accept the decision of the Parliament. If the Constitution of the country is supreme then parliament is also supreme," she remarked.

Maryam was referring to the parliament's move to reject a money bill seeking funds for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite the top court’s order.

During the last hearing of the polls delay case, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan urged the ruling alliance and the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to sit together for talks on elections for the sake of the Constitution.

"Please for the sake of the Constitution sit with each other," remarked CJP Bandial while wrapping up the election delay case’s hearing on April 27.

Commenting on the case proceedings, Maryam said an honourable judge of the apex court raised questions over the PTI’s move to dissolve the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She quoted the judge as saying that the reason for dissolving assemblies needed to be sorted out before deciding the case.

"The senior judges of the Supreme Court raised their voice against the conspiracy," Maryam added.

The ruling party leader said PTI wanted the elections in the country soon "otherwise, there will be no one to help them win the elections".

Maryam said the PTI chief himself admitted that he dissolved the provincial legislatures on the advice of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In the same address, Maryam also took a swipe at former chief justice justice (retd) Saqib Nisar, accusing him of using influence to bring Imran back in power.

She also referred to the latest audio leak of former top judge's son, Najam Saqib, wherein he could be purportedly heard demanding a bribe from a PTI aspirant in return for an election ticket.

Addressing the former top judge, Mayram asked him to tell how much money he took for convicting her father, former PM Nawaz Sharif, in the Panama Papers case.

"Tell me if Rs12 million for a ticket, then how much was it for Panama?" she remarked.