Daily Times

PML-N President and Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday conveyed to President Arif Alvi that the opposition did not agree with the suggestion of appointing Justice (retd) Gulzar Ahmed as the interim prime minister and that the process for appointment issued by him was a ‘violation of law and the Constitution’.

In a letter, Shahbaz confirmed to the president that he had received his April 4 message about the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.

He informed President Alvi that the speaker’s ruling on April 3 on the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan was a “blatant violation of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” and the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business” of the lower house.

“The entire super-structure built thereon, including all consequential notifications relating to dismissal of the Resolution, advice of the Prime Minister regarding dissolution of the National Assembly, and continuation of the Prime minister in office are all illegal, without lawful authority and of no legal effect,” wrote Shahbaz.

The former opposition leader also informed President Alvi that the Supreme Court was holding suo motu hearings on the National Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling.

He also shared the apex court’s ruling, stating that “any order passed by the prime minister and the president shall be subject to the order of the court”.

“Thus the process of appointment of caretaker Prime Minister started by you under Article 224(1A) of constitution in a hurried manner is simply to defeat the process of law and constitution without waiting for decision in suo motu case and petitions filed by combined opposition parties and other petitions challenging rejection of no-confidence resolution against prime minister and prorogation of requisitioned session of National Assembly by deputy speaker and consequent dissolution of National Assembly by prime minister, which are still pending adjudication before Supreme Court. Thus the start of the said process by you is not acceptable as it is violation of the law and Constitution and is sub judice,” said Shahbaz.

Shehbaz also said that Justice (retd) Gulzar Ahmed’s nomination as interim premier by PM Imran Khan was a “blatant attempt to subvert the provisions of the Constitution and to pre-empt the decision of the Supreme Court”.

He added that all issues, including the violation of Article 244 and 224A at this point, are “sub judice” and informed the president that the Opposition does not agree with the suggestion of appointing Justice (retd) Gulzar Ahmed as the caretaker prime minister.