ISLAMABAD: The ruling alliance on Friday expressed its strong reservations over the SC verdict, saying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was bestowed an unprecedented relief, which was not even sought by it. On the other hand, the PTI called the 8:5 majority decision in its favour a victory of truth and justice.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the SC verdict on reserved seats would pose no threat to the government, as the ruling coalition still had a clear majority of 209 members in the National Assembly. “The Sunni Ittehad Council had moved the Supreme Court for relief, but the relief went to PTI even without asking for it,” he said while addressing a press conference here. He said the PTI was not a party to the case, and there was no claim of the PTI against the Peshawar High Court decision.
The law minister said the court decision seemed to have rewritten provisions of the Constitution. “We have been taught to respect the court decisions,” he added. He said even today, those senators who were declared independent by the decision of Supreme Court, were still listed as independent. But the independents who joined the Sunni Ittehad Council by choice were declared members of the PTI. “Independent members had declared that they were elected as independents and had joined the Sunni Ittehad Council,” he said.
The law minister said the ruling raised ambiguities and confusion, and legal experts would continue to give their opinion. He said that according to the SIC manifesto, they should not be allocated minority seats. About filing a review petition, the law minister said all decisions were made in the federal cabinet and it would decide whether to file a review or not after viewing the detailed judgment.
Tarar said the PTI, as a party, did not claim reserved seats, but instead of interpreting Articles 51 and 106, apparently, they were rewritten. He said it was for the political parties, affected by the decision, to decide on filing a review petition.
Separately, Adviser to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the SC ruling declaring PTI eligible for reserved seats was not a conspiracy against the PMLN coalition government. “The decision to seek a review of the verdict lies with the cabinet,” Sanaullah said. “Court verdicts are not based on ambiguity; a review is just one option; we will consult our legal team after the detailed verdict,” he said.
“The SC ruling did not favour the SIC, as their petition was not accepted by the court,” Sanaullah noted. “The new ruling identifies independent members as part of PTI. Verdicts should be transparent, understandable to the public, adding to the sense of security and leading to national progress.”
Voicing grave concerns over the ruling, Sanaullah argued that “rewriting the Constitution” threatens its protection. “Relief was granted [to PTI] without any request for it. Judicial decisions should be comprehensible to the common man. Unfathomable rulings are never in the nation’s interest,” he added. “We hold the courts and judges in utmost esteem. They are the best at what they do. Judges have sworn to protect the Constitution; rewriting it contravenes this oath,” he noted. “The government respects the judiciary’s decisions and will carefully consider its next steps following a detailed consultation with their legal team.”
PPP Secretary Information Shazia Marri said, “Hence proved yet again, once a ‘laadla always a laadla’.” She said the detailed reaction of the party would come once the legal wing of PPP gave its advice. “As the PPP legal team is reviewing the short order of Supreme Court, we will come up with the party position after getting the legal opinion from legal team,” she said.
On the other hand, reacting to the SC verdict, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan Friday demanded criminal proceedings under Article 6 of the Constitution against all those responsible for disenfranchising millions of voters and supporters of Pakistan’s largest political party. “I have repeatedly raised concerns about the prejudice exhibited by the chief election commissioner of Pakistan against me and the PTI. Today’s Supreme Court decision establishing the ECP’s bias and mala fide against PTI reinforces our stance. We demand Sikandar Sultan Raja and ECP members must resign immediately,” he said in a message on his X account. He also wrote, “Also, I would reiterate that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa must distance himself from the cases involving me or the PTI.”
Also, the PTI leadership billed the decision as a landmark, termed it a major victory for truth and justice, and asked the chief election commissioner (CEC) and four ECP members to bow out. The PTI leaders believed the verdict would help enhance public trust in the country’s judiciary and its justice system. They also demanded immediate resignation of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja and four members of the ECP for ‘brazenly violating’ the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference along with the party leaders including PTI Secretary General and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz, Barrister Salman Akram Raja, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan congratulated the party workers, women, minorities and the entire nation over the ‘historic victory’. He alleged that all ECP decisions were based on mala fide intentions and dishonesty, as it wrongly interpreted the SC verdict deliberately to push out the PTI from the electoral race altogether.
Gohar said the SC declared the PTI as an eligible political party for seats reserved for women and minorities, which was the victory of Pakistan, democracy and the country’s judicial system as well as vision of Imran Khan. He made it clear that the PTI was a team and it would continue its legal and political struggle to surmount all prevailing challenges to make Pakistan a truly independent and welfare state as per the vision of their ‘unlawfully incarcerated’ leader Imran Khan.
Omar Ayub, addressing the press conference, termed the verdict a victory of truth and justice and hailed his legal team, women and minorities for their tireless and ceaseless efforts to get justice done in the face of all adversarial circumstances. The PTI secretary general said Imran Khan would soon take the reins of the country because only he, as the prime minister, could steer the country out of the current myriad of problems. He demanded criminal proceedings under Article 6 of the Constitution against all those responsible for disenfranchising millions of voters and supporters of “Pakistan’s largest political party”.
Omar also called on the “biased and prejudiced” CEC and four members of the electoral body to resign forthwith. He categorically said the nation would not accept rigged polls and “mandate thief government” come what may, and their efforts would continue till reclaiming the stolen public mandate.
Shibli Faraz said the apex court’s historic judgment would be written in golden letters in history, but they must salute the courage and steadfastness of the leader of the nation, known as ‘Prisoner 804’, who had been enduring all hardship for the sake of his country and nation. He claimed that the decision rekindled the hope that all remaining false, politically motivated and fictitious cases would also fall like a house of cards in the presence of such fearless judges. Shibli said that they would fight to reclaim the stolen mandate or it would be great dishonesty with the people that the mandate could not be given to the rightful ones.
Senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja said the historic ruling by the apex court dashed all hopes of the fascist forces and erected a wall to foil their mischievous objectives. He vowed that they would continue their just battle on roads, courts and parliament to expose the mega February 8 polls robbery and it would continue until the historic wrong was fixed. He said it was high time to build further pressure to foil the government’s plan not to get undue favour from election tribunals by appointing judges of their choice.
PTI Women Wing President Kanwal Shauzab said the PTI would emerge as a majority political party in parliament after the SC judgment. PTI Monitory Wing President Lal Chand Malhi said as per the vision of their leader Imran Khan, they would fight till the last ball and would not surrender come what may. President Insaf Lawyer Forum Chaudhary Ishtiaq Advocate said the judges rejected all external pressure and gave a rightful decision.
