Punjab CM election case: Coalition govt decides to boycott Supreme Court bench

ISLAMABAD: The coalition government on Monday decided to boycott the current three-member Supreme Court bench which is hearing the case pertaining to the Punjab CM.

Chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Jamiat Ulema e Islam-F (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the PDM demanded full court hearing of the case related to Punjab CM election. He said the verdict of the current bench would be considered bias. He said the political parties gave suggestion of the full court bench for superiority of the justice.

“If our demand of full court is dismissed, then we will also reject the court’s decision,” he said. The ruling coalition has decided not to appear before the current bench, he maintained.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said their demand was of full court bench and they would boycott the SC hearing till their demand was met.

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Pakistan Muslim League-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said now it was the test of the Supreme Court. “The law requires that a judge or a bench should recuse himself from there if a finger is raised on him,” Shahid Khaqan said.

Another PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said if Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s direction to the party was venerating then PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat’s direction should also be respected.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has adjourned the hearing of Punjab Chief Minister Election case till 11 AM on Tuesday.

The bench in its ruling on Monday said that it wanted to give more time and chance to litigants to complete their arguments.

Earlier, the Supreme Court rejected the coalition government’s request to form a full court bench to hear the case of the Punjab CM election.

Umar Ata Bandial on Monday said the result of the election of the Punjab Chief Minister should be respected. He said this while hearing the case pertaining to Punjab CM election.

“The one who received less votes is currently the chief minister. Even then the Supreme Court has not removed him. The court is using its constitutional and legal rights, whether somebody likes it or not, the court will not come under any pressure,” Justice Umar Bandial said.

SC only allowed the applicants, respondents, and their lawyers to enter the premises of the court and barred entry of ministers. The SC was hearing the petition filed by PTI candidate for Punjab CM Parvez Elahi. The petition was filed against the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling, through which he rejected 10 votes of the PML-Q in favour of Parvez Elahi.