Pakistan Political Crisis: SC Yet Again Adjourns Hearing On 'Unconstitutional' Impeding Of No-Confidence Vote

As the Supreme Court resumed hearing the case on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the apex court wants to wrap up the case today, Geo News reported.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (File Photo: AFP)

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned for the fourth consecutive day the hearing on National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s “unconstitutional” ruling to impede the vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

As the Supreme Court resumed hearing the case on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the apex court wants to wrap up the case today, Geo News reported.

This development came as the Chief Justice had taken suo motu notice of the constitutional crisis, which erupted after the National Assembly Deputy Speaker disallowed voting on the motion while deeming it “unconstitutional”.

The Opposition has criticized the move stating that it was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

The apex court’s five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Bandial, is hearing the arguments by the counsels of the remaining respondents of the case.

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Nazeer Tarar, the counsel representing the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), maintained at the outset of the hearing that the Punjab advocate-general had assured to hold the provincial assembly session today.

Chief Justice Bandial while responding to the same said that a very important case is being heard in this court.

“We first want to wrap up the case on what happened in the NA on April 3,” he added, Geo News reported.

Tarar, however, argued the Punjab Assembly’s matter is the “extension of Islamabad’s case”.

Chief Justice Bandial on his part said that negative statements are being made against the court, adding it is being said that the court is delaying the matter.

“We have to decide after listening to everyone's stance.[…] will look into Punjab assembly matter in the end,” he said, adding the court will ask the Punjab advocate-general under which law the assembly session was adjourned.

Resuming his arguments, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) counsel Babar Awan said that he wants to put some points before the court.

“I believe that no point will be disregarded in this case,” he added.

Awan, who had presented his arguments before the court during the hearing earlier on Tuesday as well, referred to Justice Faez Isa’s verdict on the minorities.

Objecting that all political parties are a party in this case except for MQM-P, PTM, Balochistan Awami Party and Jamat-e-Islami and Rah-e-Haq party, the PTI counsel said the case is whether the National Assembly speaker’s act was illegal.

Stating that no one said a single word about Article 63A, Awan said: “They [Opposition] claim that they are trying to save the parliamentarian democracy. PML-N president [Shahbaz Sharif] demanded formation of a commission in a press conference that he addressed without reading the National Security Committee's ruling.”

Arguing that the joint Opposition wants that the court issues a brief order in their favour, the PTI counsel said that the complainant parties want that reference to the National Security Committee in the ruling is ignored in this case.

He also maintained that the speaker and the deputy speaker cannot stay silent over the “foreign conspiracy.”

Chief Justice Bandial, reacting to the same, said that an accusation has been levelled in this case and asked the lawyer to come to the facts as the deputy speaker had taken a step.

The PTI’s lawyer also pleaded with the court for an in-camera hearing on the Lettergate and requested the top court to form a judicial commission to identify those who were involved in the attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty.