ISLAMABAD: Warning against any attempt to subjugate parliament, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf declared the legislature has the authority to reject “unconstitutional” decisions of the Supreme Court.
In an interview with the Voice of America, Ashraf, who belongs to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), firmly stated that if the SC does not recognize the parliament’s right to legislate, then the entire concept of elections will become a mockery.
He asserted that the parliament has the power to overturn any illegal ruling by the Supreme Court and that doing so would be disastrous for the country.
The speaker also urged Pakistan’s chief justice (CJP) to endeavor to settle disputes between institutions. He also exhorted the government to give up any stubbornness and hold substantive discussions about elections with other stakeholders.
No fresh military operations were being conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan, but Ashraf said that the army chief had underlined his commitment to respecting the Constitution and the supremacy of the parliament. He also made it clear that operations against terrorists would continue.
In response to a question about whether there should be a complete court, Ashraf stated that he did not understand why there should not be a larger group of judges because it would assist put an end to ambiguity.
He said the resignations of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers members could not be reconsidered, but if the court ruled in favor of the PTI, the members could return to the assembly.
