Islamabad: The ruling coalition in Pakistan has rejected the Supreme Court’s verdict on Punjab chief minister’s election and called it a day of “start of another phase of independence of the judiciary”, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) termed the decision “supremacy of the Constitution” and decided to observe ‘thanksgiving day’ on Wednesday, Dawn reported.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders claimed that the formation of a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to hear the case was evidence of the fact that the apex court’s verdict would become controversial.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif expressed disappointment over the verdict and tweeted: “The country has turned into a theatre — salute to three judges.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the SC verdict had given shocked the hopes of the people, legal fraternity, petitioners, and media for justice. In a tweet after the verdict, he said it was a demand of the reputation of the judiciary and justice that a full court should have been formed. “With the formation of the full court bench, justice would have not only to be done but it would have appeared to be done.”
Terming the SC decision “judicial murder of democracy”, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called a meeting of the ruling alliance on Thursday to discuss the verdict.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the rejection of the government’s plea to form a full court had already made controversial the verdict of the apex court. “The second phase of a campaign regarding the independence of the judiciary has started that was first launched by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,” she added.
PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz tweeted: “JUDICIAL COUP”.
