ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan has constituted five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan over the political situation and the constitutional crisis arising in the country.
The development comes after the Opposition leaders demanded to review the ruling given by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri who rejected the no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu notice and reached the top court after consultations with senior judges over the constitutional situation. Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan, members of PTI and the opposition reached Supreme Court while judicial staff also arrived.
Meanwhile, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Ijaz-ul-Haq also reached the Supreme Court. Senior judge of the Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa in a letter had informed the CJP about the proceedings in the National Assembly.
President Supreme Court Bar Ahsan Bhoon called the CJP to take notice of the situation and declare the unconstitutional step as void. Talking to media, Bhoon said that a constitutional petition against the step has been prepared. He said there is no constitutional justification for dissolution of the assembly.
PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari also filed a petition in the supreme court and said that all unconstitutional steps will be challenged. He said that the deputy speaker’s decision was in violation of Article 95, 17 and 66 of the Constitution. He pleaded to the court to declare the deputy speaker’s step as void and initiate voting on the no-confidence motion.
The joint Opposition has also prepared a petition to revoke the ruling of the deputy speaker under which the National Assembly session was adjourned for an indefinite period after the no-confidence motion was rejected.
According to the petition prepared by the joint Opposition, the speaker should be directed to convene the session as “the deputy speaker cannot adjourn the session as it is unconstitutional.” The Opposition has filed a petition against President Arif Alvi, PM Imran Khan, Speaker NA Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri for violating the Constitution.
