ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar stated on Tuesday that the recent ruling by the top court’s three-judge panel regarding the elections in Punjab could worsen the nation’s political and constitutional crisis.
Speaking at a local press conference, he expressed his sadness and regret over the judgment, noting that it came at a time when the nation was already dealing with security and financial issues. He added that it was regrettable that a full court bench had not been assembled to hear this crucial case despite requests from the nation’s bar associations, civil society, and coalition political parties. If the choice had been made using the group’s collective wisdom, it would have been appropriate.
The minister said that he still expected from the Chief Justice of Pakistan that he would form a full court bench to remove ambiguity in the verdict and for curtailing the impression of division in the judiciary. The attorney general of Pakistan, he said, had also requested the court in last day hearing to form a six-member bench but the same was rejected. The solution of the current political and constitutional crisis was a formation of full court bench as only the decision of the collective wisdom would satisfy all the stakeholders of the country.
The minister said that it was also meaning full that a six-member bench had been formed to view the judgment of Justice Qazi Faez Isa which had ordered to freeze the proceeding on cases of Article 184/3 of the constitution until formation of rules. It had been felt that the matter related to the verdict of Justice Isa could not be addressed with just an executive order, he added. He said that there should not be an environment of conflicts in the institutions. Firstly it also had to be interpreted that if the judgment dated March 1, was issued with the majority of 4-3 member bench, he said. Senator Azam Nazeer said that senior judges were not being included in the benches hearing the important cases. The government wanted free and fair simultaneous elections in the country, he maintained. APP
