LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leaders Saturday sharply reacted to the Supreme Court remarks given during the hearing of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi petition, filed against a ruling given by the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker during the chief minister’s election a day earlier.
PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that the party would not accept “one-sided” decisions by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, after it said that Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shehbaz would work as a trustee CM till Monday, July 25.
“Amid pressure due to bullying, threats, misbehaviour and abuses, if the house of justice makes certain decisions via the same bench and negates itself, negate its own decisions, puts its weight behind a single side, then do not expect us to bow our heads before such one-sided decisions. Enough is Enough!” tweeted the PMLN leader. Maryam said the current political chaos and instability started with the Supreme Court’s court decision on Article 63A, adding that it made an “arbitrary interpretation” of the Constitution to not count the MPAs that voted voluntarily.
“Today, a new interpretation is being made [of the decision]. So that the same favourite, who took benefit from it yesterday, uses it! Disapproved!” said Maryam.
In a separate press conference in Lahore, PMLN leader Ahsan Iqbal claimed that Imran Khan is trying to get a bailout package (NRO) with the help of the Supreme Court and national institutions in his foreign funding case. He alleged that the PTI chairperson pressurises the institutions to make decisions that benefit him.
“Imran Niazi is trying to hijack the election process through social media with the help of illegal funding of millions of dollars,” said the PMLN leader, alleging that “15,000 social media activists are recruited at Rs25,000 each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to spread his agenda.”
Expressing his disapproval of the court’s decision, Iqbal said that the court disqualified MPAs in a second while Qasim Suri has been the deputy speaker for two-and-a-half years.
Ahsan Iqbal said when Imran Khan meets defeat in political matters then he tries to involve the SC in political conflicts. He said in a statement that Imran Khan had been playing a game from Panama to the Punjab chief minister slot elections.
“I don’t know if the establishment is playing any role or not. May be Imran Khan is giving this suggestion to delay the decision of foreign funding case,” Ahsan Iqbal claimed.
He said Imran Khan wanted an NRO in the foreign funding case for which he was inviting the establishment to intervene in political affairs. “We are under pressure, Punjab is running without a cabinet, Imran Niazi continues to play the role of the Supreme Court, we are even disqualified for contempt of court, why is there no contempt of court action against Imran Khan?” he questioned.
PMLN leader Talal Chaudhry also addressed a press conference, and criticised Imran Khan for giving derogatory remarks against the national institutions and threatening them to get decisions of his choice. He said the PMLN had always showed restraint in respect of the institutions and in the larger national interest. The PMLN believed in the supremacy of the law and the Constitution and always respected the court verdicts; however, it wanted across-the-board decisions and equal standards of justice.
He said nobody was above the law, and the Parliament was the supreme institution as it had the mandate to make or amend the laws and if there was any need to make amendments to any law, only the parliament should take up the matter.
He said the coalition government, led by PMLN, opted to take tough decisions for saving the country from default. He said the PMLN was always ready for general elections; however, it wanted level playing field to ensure free and fair elections in the country.
Punjab Home Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday the success of PMLN in election for the Punjab chief minister slot was in accordance with the law and Constitution.
Addressing a press conference at Model Town, he said that justice should not have double standards. He said that 25 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of the provincial assembly were de-seated on the basis of a reference, sent by the party head against them. “Where did it prove that these 25 members were directed to vote for Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi,” asked the minister.
He said that in Mian Nawaz Sharif’s case, it was clarified that a party head had unlimited powers. He said that such past cases and present matters of de-seating of 25 members, required that a full bench should hear the matter.
Former federal minister and PMLN leader Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali said in Faisalabad on Saturday that Imran Khan was pushing the country toward civil war because of his political strategy.
