Daily Times

Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday said that the recent judgment of the three- member bench of the top court regarding elections in Punjab could further deepened the constitutional and political crisis in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, he said he was feeling sad and sorry on today’s judgment as it came at the time when the country was already facing financial and security challenges.

He said that it was also unfortunate that full court bench was not constituted to hear this very important case despite the demands from coalition political parties, civil society and bar associations of the country.

It would have been appropriate if the decision was based on a collective wisdom of the court, he said, adding that a resolution was also passed in the Parliament regarding it.

The minister said that he still expected from the Chief Justice of Pakistan that he would form a full court bench to remove ambiguity in the verdict and for curtailing the impression of division in the judiciary.

The attorney general of Pakistan, he said, had also requested the court in last day hearing to form a six-member bench but the same was rejected.

The solution of the current political and constitutional crisis was a formation of full court bench as only the decision of the collective wisdom would satisfy all the stakeholders of the country.

The minister said that it was also meaningfull that a six-member bench had been formed to view the judgment of Justice Qazi Faez Isa which had ordered to freeze the proceeding on cases of Article 184/3 of the constitution until formation of rules.

It had been felt that the matter related to the verdict of Justice Isa could not be addressed with just an executive order, he added.

He said that there should not be an environment of conflicts in the institutions.

Firstly it also had to be interpreted that if the judgment dated March 1, was issued with the majority of 4-3 member bench, he said.

Senator Azam Nazeer said that senior judges were not being included in the benches hearing the important cases.

The government wanted free and fair simultaneous elections in the country, he maintained.

Tarar said the government wanted state intuitions to work within their constitutional ambit. Talking on the floor of the National Assembly, Tarar said that the government pleaded with the court that the issue should not be made a matter of ego. He maintained that the government had requested for a full court bench but their legitimate demands were rejected. “Will showing haste in the case bring political stability to the county? Is this verdict as per the law and the Constitution?” he asked.

“Two assemblies were dissolved to satisfy the ego of a person [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan],” Tarar said, adding that the dissolution aimed at creating political division in the country.