PM makes impassioned plea for full court

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday maintained that all the leaders of coalition parties in the federal government, during a meeting chaired by him in Lahore last week, had expressed their no confidence in the Supreme Court bench hearing the suo motu case of polls delay.

Taking part in the National Assembly session, the prime minister endorsed the views of Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarrar regarding the expression of no confidence in the constitution of the bench seized of the matter.

He said Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another member of the bench, had recused himself from the bench. He requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to constitute a full court sans two judges as it would be acceptable to the nation.

Such a contentious decision, he said, would be against the norms of justice. The prime minister referred to the CJP’s remarks in which he stated that certain people speaking in the National Assembly had undergone jail terms and said it was a matter of pride that he had been released by the high court on merit in the false and fabricated cases.

Imran Niazi and his collaborators had framed false cases against him and tried to implicate him in those cases, he added. It was their right under the Constitution to express their views in Parliament, he said, adding whether the CJP had referred to the witch-hunting of theopposition leaders during the PTI’s tenure.

The prime minister said there were serious allegations of corruption against certain members of the bench and by including them in the bench what message was given to the whole country.

He stressed that the law of equality was applicable to all. “Double standards would not work.” In London’s case, Imran’s lackey Shehzad Akbar, had got published a false story in the Daily Mail, London, but later the author tendered an apology, he added.

The prime minister said Imran Niazi during his rule had no other engagement but to spend his energies on devising nefarious schemes to send opposition leaders to jails. He mentioned that Imran had sent him twice to jail and was trying to send him for the third time.

Even his bail which was granted on merit by the high court during the PTI’s government was challenged in the Supreme Court, he added. He said he was released on merit and now standing in the Parliament.

“My fault was that as leader of the opposition, they were countering the ill-devised policies of the PTI government and Niazi considered them as hurdles and acted like Nero plays the flute when the Rome was on fire,” the prime minister said.

Earlier, the law minister briefed the House about the proceedings in the apex court and reiterated that the coalition parties had already conveyed to the court to constitute a full court to hear the instant case.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, while speaking on floor of the National Assembly, said that if decision on the issue is taken in haste, it would be controversial and would also be written with black word in country’s history.

“ I am sharing with the House with deep shock and sorrow that if views of other judges of the court are not put behind and decision on this very important and sensitive constitutional and national issue is announced in a haste, it will remain controversial one,” he said, adding that such decisions never gets support of the nation.

The minister said that that he wanted to raise a question on floor of the House that decision of three-member bench on a matter which is already decided by seven-member bench, would be practicable and acceptable and whether it would be support by the nation.

He asked the Supreme Court to put its own house in order which is already divided and dissenting voices are coming from the institution which if heard strengthen the institution. “If you want to see Constitution and law as supreme then scales of justice should be even,” he said.

He said the government was demanding full court from the Supreme Court which should be constituted and things be streamlined. He said that two houses of the Parliament passed the Supreme Practice and Procedure Bill 2023 and the same is pending with the president for the last four days. “I will request the president not to act as political worker of a party and behave like the president,” he said, adding that such an attitude deepens crisis.

He pointed out an individual every day gives a sermon while placing two flags on his both sides that as per Constitution, elections to dissolved assemblies should be held within 90 days. “Constitution also says that elections of provincial and national assembly be held on the same day,” he said.

He questioned whether Constitution was not violated on the same day when the National Assembly was dissolved within one and half minutes. “We will also have to see when and why this institution played its role to breach the Constitution and when it could have written fate of the country but they penned down black words,” he said, adding that it was the same institution from which a dictator sought three months and he was given nine years to remain in power.

“It is day to write a history as institutions get respect for their conduct and verdicts which they issue. When voices are being heard from within the institution, which if suppressed and ignored a decision is taken in haste then the history will remember the decision with black words,” he said.

Tarar said that the Election Commission of Pakistan keeping in view decision of two judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Mandokhail, that dismissed, dismissal of appeal with majority decision of four to three, security and economic conditions of the country and as per Article 218 (3) and 224 announced to delay elections to Punjab Assembly till October 08.

He pointed out that in past particularly when Saqib Nisar was the chief justice, mockery of the Article 184 (3) was made and on many occasions four to five cases were heard on a single day while taking suo moto notice and it seemed that he assumed role of secretary education, chief municipal officer, superintendent jail etc.

He said that in order to have fair and transparent proceedings, a full court reference excluding two judges should have been constituted but instead the three-member bench resumed proceedings on appeal against ECP decision of delay in elections.

He said that the consultative meeting of government’s allies, expressed concerns the way proceedings of the apex court are being conducted. Separately, addressing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) parliamentary party meeting at the Parliament House, PM Shehbaz vowed to bring the country out of economic crisis in country’s history saying that all conditions of IMF have been met to continue Fund’s programme.

“We are also making efforts to seek help of global financial institutions to tackle economic woes that came after the obstruction of IMF deal by PTI chief Imran Khan,” he said. The parliamentary party, according to Information Minister Marriyum Aurengzeb, rejected the three-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing appeal against delay in Punjab Assembly’s elections and demanded constitution of a full-court reference.

The prime minister rubbished the social media propaganda, categorically ruled out any possibility of the relationship with Israel until the people of Palestine get their due right of a separate homeland. He resolved that Pakistan would not deviate from its principled position of having no ties with Israel until the Palestinians get their legitimate right.

He also referred to the social media posts mentioning any trade activity by a Pakistani Jew with Israel terming the same just baseless. “An individual Jew has traded some goods and the government has nothing to do with that,” he said.

He observed that behind such propaganda were the people who opposed a Muslim candidate of London mayorship and instead supported the Jewish candidate. The premier said that before assuming the government, he had not imagined the severity of the situation in form of a destroyed economy and strained foreign relations with brotherly countries, including China and Saudi Arabia.

He said under PMLN superemo Nawaz Sharif and with the cooperation of the allied parties, the government was making all-out efforts to cope with the challenges. He said the government had fulfilled all the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the previous regime had violated the commitments with the global financial institution.

He said recently Pakistan was hit by the worst flood and the federal government alone had spent Rs100 billion to support the suffering people. Shehbaz also mentioned that during the Nawaz’s tenure till 2017, the country was progressing with the sugar price at Rs52 and the dollar rate at Rs100.

He said during its four-year tenure, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took loans even more than those taken during the 70-year history. The previous government not only violated the IMF agreement but also questioned the transparency in the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects which impacted the Pak-China bilateral relations.

It was alleged that the CPEC projects involved 45 percent corruption and such allegations were repeated not only in the cabinet but also in the Parliament and private meetings, he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said the leadership of the PMLN and other allied parties rendered immense sacrifices and also put their politics at stake to protect the state which was in no way a bad deal.

“Though the situation is tough now, the time will come when it will change… Pakistan is genuinely at a crossroads. Today we have to live within the ambit of the Constitution and law,” he remarked.

The prime minister told the meeting that during the PTI government, there was no shortage of wheat in the country rather it was a scandal. However, the incumbent government timely imported the commodity to avert any shortage.

He said the government had launched the history’s biggest project of distributing three wheat flour bags to needy families during holy Ramazan which would benefit around 100 million people.

He said the government was striving to improve the situation but political stability was a must to achieve the desired goal. Meanwhile, talking to a delegation of Balochistan Awami Party and Balochistan National Party (BNP), the prime minister said the progress of Balochistan was government’s top priority.

He said the federal government was taking measures for the development of the human capital of the Balochistan. During the meeting detailed discussion was held on ongoing development projects in the province and promotion of trade between Pakistan and Iran.

The delegation comprised Minister for Defence Production Sardar Israr Tareen, State Minister Hashim Notezai and MNAs Khalid Hussain Magsi, Zubaida Jalala, Ehsanullah Reki, Rubina Irfan and Dr Shehnaz Baloch.