Politics

Federal cabinet rejects top court’s verdict in election delay case

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Federal cabinet sources say “verdict unenforceable”.
Govt to raise voice in parliament regarding SC decision: sources.
Maryam terms three-member bench as “Khan’s facilitators”.

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court’s “unanimous verdict” on the case pertaining to the postponement of election in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), sources told Geo News.

The development came during the cabinet’s meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held after a three-member bench — headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar as members — announced the apex court’s verdict on the matter which it had reserved a day earlier.

Announcing the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the country’s top court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as ‘null and void’.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, states that the ECP’s order dated March 22, 2023, is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect, and is hereby quashed.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is a minority verdict, which is why the cabinet rejects it,” the sources in the federal cabinet said.

The top court’s decision, as per the sources, is not enforceable.

The government would raise its voice in parliament regarding the verdict, the sources added. It was also decided in the meeting that the coalition parties in power will talk about the apex court’s decision in parliament, they added.

In the meeting, the cabinet decided to present its position on the verdict.

‘Last blow of conspiracy’

Commenting on the SC decision, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz took to her Twitter and wrote that today’s verdict is the last blow of the conspiracy which began by “rewriting the Constitution and presenting the Punjab government on a plate” to the bench’s blue-eyed boy, Khan.

آج کا فیصلہ اس سازش کا آخری وار ہے جس کا آغاز آئین کو re-write کر کے پنجاب حکومت پلیٹ میں رکھ بنچ کے لاڈلے عمران کو پیش کی گئی کہ لو بیٹا، توڑ دو تاکہ ہم جیسے سہولت کاروں کی موجودگی اور نگرانی میں تمھیں دوبارہ سیلیکٹ کیا جائے۔
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 4, 2023

Maryam termed the three-member bench as “Khan’s facilitators” and said that this was done so he could be reselected under their presence and supervision.

2018 میں جو کام فیض، کھوسہ اور ثاقب نثار نے انجام دیا تھا، وہ ذمہ داری اب اس بنچ نے اٹھا لی ہے۔ اس خوفناک اور ڈھٹائی سے کی گئی سہولت کاری اور ون مین شو کے خلاف سپریم کورٹ کی اکثریت نے بغاوت کر دی۔ وقت آ گیا ہے کہ پارلیمنٹ اس سہولت کاری کو اپنے آئینی اور قانونی ہاتھوں سے روک دے۔ https://t.co/8JOoBEez66
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 4, 2023

“This bench has taken responsibility for the work done by [Lt Gen] Faiz [Hamid], [ex-CJP Asif Saeed] Khosa and Saqib Nisar in 2018. A majority of the Supreme Court revolted against this appalling and brazen facilitation and one-man show,” the PML-N scion tweeted, stressing that it is now time for the parliament to stop this facilitation using its “constitutional and legal hands”.

وفاقی کابینہ کی جانب سے فیصلہ مسترد کر دینا کافی نہیں ہے۔ آئین اور قانون کی دھجیاں اڑا کر لاڈلے کو مسلط کرنے کی کوشش کرنے والوں کو کٹہرے میں کھڑا کرنا چاہیے۔
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 4, 2023

She further stated that it is not enough for the federal cabinet to reject the verdict. The PML-N politician wrote that those who tried to impose the “favourite” by defying the Constitution and law should be brought to the rostrum.

Latest News

The nomination of Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister raises concerns.

Published

13 hours ago

Farwa

A lot of doubts have been raised by Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, being appointed deputy prime minister.

No reference to the Constitution, regulations, or any other law was mentioned in the Cabinet Division’s notification of the appointment.

What powers Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used to designate Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister has come under scrutiny in light of this.

There are questions about the legal foundation for the deputy prime minister’s nomination as it appears from the notification’s phrasing that rules for the position have not yet been established, according to insiders.

Likewise, the announcement is vague about the deputy prime minister’s proposed authority.

Deputy prime minister would be purely symbolic, according to government sources, and would not be authorized to carry out prime ministerial duties. In Pakistan, the deputy prime minister has previously been nominated.

The PPP administration appointed Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as deputy prime minister.

Observe that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed deputy prime minister on Sunday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s consent; the Cabinet Division formally announced the appointment.

Dar holds the position of Pakistan’s fourth deputy prime minister. Previous appointments to the position of deputy prime ministers included Parvez Elahi, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Begum Nusrat Bhutto.

Latest News

The PML-N Punjab chapter convenes today to discuss organizational issues.

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

Former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, has called a meeting of the PML-N Punjab chapter for today (Friday).

The conference was called by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who reportedly gave the president of the party’s Punjab chapter, Rana Sanaullah, a call to call a meeting of the party’s provincial officials.

Nawaz Sharif is now visiting China.

According to sources, Nawaz Sharif’s leadership role and organizational issues inside the PML-N Punjab would be discussed at the meeting. The meeting’s agenda may also include discussions about the possible growth of the federal and Punjabi cabinets.

According to other sources, Nawaz Sharif gave Rana Sanaullah instructions to gather information on political and organizational positions in Punjab as well as to revitalize the party at the local level.

Latest News

Saad Rafiq: Ali Amin Gandapur’s threat to storm Islamabad is a major issue.

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has threatened to storm Islamabad, according to Khawaja Saad Rafique, a former minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This is a very serious situation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has reportedly launched attacks on the federal capital in the past in an attempt to seize Islamabad, according to Saad Rafiq on the social media platform X (previously Twitter).

“However, PTI got nothing and it resulted in creating chaos, hatred and economic destruction,” he continued.

He added, “If the anarchists attack Islamabad to occupy it this time too, it will become impossible for them to return as rulers.”

According to the leader of the PML-N, fascist behavior will no longer be accepted, and the dirty politics of violence, fire, and ransacking will no longer be effective.

The PTI, he said, has to act rationally and refrain from inciting another May 9.