ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has said that the bill, seeking to curtail power of Chief Justice and introducing other amendments, cannot be challenged in the court of law before going through the process of ‘act of parliament’.
His statement came shortly after PDM released a statement to media, rejecting Supreme Court’s move to constitute 8-judges bench to hear petitions challenging the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023.
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Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, PMLN leader Azam Nazeer Tarar said the President hadn’t signed the bill as yet, and hence the same hadn’t become the act of parliament.
He further said that the issue of the bill was taken up at the Supreme Court at pre-mature level. He alleged that the 8-judges bench constituted to hear the petition was formulated on the basis of ‘pick & choose’, and expressed hope that the bench would be dissolved today.
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Tarar also criticized that senior judges were not included in the hearing of the present bill, and pointed out that the Chief Justice himself should not head the bench as per judicial tradition. He alleged that a petition was hastily filed, and a bench was constituted.
Speaking on this occasion, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023 was still pending with the President who was itself part of Parliament. He said the environment had become bitter, and needed to be cooled down, whatever was happening was completely unacceptable.
Kaira said “we never objected on the powers of the Chief Justice, instead, we said it would be balanced.”
Qamar Zaman Kaira criticized the creation of the Supreme Court bench, saying that it was preventing Parliament from carrying out its work. He alleged that the move (by SC) was evidence of self-division and that it was contributing to the ongoing clash between institutions in the country.
Kaira went on to say that the ongoing clash between institutions was leading the country to a terrible state. He stressed the need for all branches of government to work together in a harmonious manner to address the challenges facing the country.
