ISLAMABAD, July 25 (PTI): Top leaders of Pakistan’s ruling coalition on Monday expressed distrust in the Supreme Court’s handling of a case related to the election of the chief minister in Punjab province, saying “bench-fixing” is a crime similar to “match-fixing,” and urged it to avoid constituting a “specific bench” for taking one-sided decisions.
The coalition government leaders, including the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah addressed a joint press conference ahead of the significant Supreme Court hearing on Hamza Shehbaz’s re-election as the chief minister of Punjab province.
“Institutions are insulted from within, not outside. One wrong decision blows up an entire case. Criticism isn’t needed where the right decisions are taken,” Maryam, the daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PML-N supremo, said.
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The PML-N vice president pointed out that there were many respected judges appointed to the apex court and questioned why they were not involved in hearing the PML-N’s cases.
“One or two judges, who have always been anti-PML-N and anti-government, are repeatedly included in the bench,” she said, adding that “bench-fixing is a crime just like match-fixing”.
The PML-N leader asked for the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of this issue.
Hamza, the son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Saturday took oath as the Chief Minister of the Punjab province after he was re-elected to the post by just three votes amidst high drama when Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 crucial votes of his rival candidate Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
In the 368-member Punjab Assembly, Hamza’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) received 179 votes, while Elahi’s party garnered 176 votes.
Elahi, who was also backed by former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, later moved the Supreme Court, which allowed Hamza to remain as the “trustee” Punjab province Chief Minister till the hearing resumes on Monday but barred him from using his powers for “political gains” during this period.
Maryam said that ever since Hamza became the chief minister, PTI leaders have been repeatedly approaching the apex court — and this time, they jumped over the walls of the top court.
“Have you ever heard of a trustee chief minister?” she asked.
The firebrand leader said that since Hamza was elected chief minister of Punjab, he was not allowed to work.
“He goes from Parliament to court, and back and forth. What justice is this?”
She said that “our justice system is such that when a petition is filed, the people already know what bench will be constituted and the decision that will be given.”
Referring to the PTI’s petition against the chief minister’s July 22 election, Maryam said that the apex court’s doors were opened late at night and the registrar gave “sufficient time” to the party to draft its appeal.
“This is not what happens in our justice system,” she said, adding that the PTI was given ample time to draft its petition by the registrar, while the common man is given months for the date of hearing.
The petition is being heard by a three-member bench, including Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar.
They were among the five judges who ruled against the decision by then National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri to dismiss the vote of no-confidence against ousted Prime Minister Khan in April.
