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ISLAMABAD: The ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-N has come up with one of the most bizarre interpretation of the Supreme Court’s verdict, ordering the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in KP and Punjab within 90 days, something which has been ridiculed by PTI.
Also read: Supreme Court orders ECP to hold elections in Punjab and KP within 90 days
Talking to media outside the Supreme Court here on Wednesday, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar claimed that no review was needed on SC verdict since the petition stood disposed of with 4-3. Explaining his point of view, he said technically, the nine-member bench split into seven-judge bench after Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi voluntarily dissociated themselves from the bench after questions were raised on their presence in the bench. After that, he said, Justice Yaha Afridi and Justice Athar Minallah recused themselves from the case as they expressed their opinion on the maintainability of the petitions on the election date in the provinces.
Referring to today’s verdict of the five-member bench, Azam Nazir Tarar said two of them – Justice Mandokhail and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah – had written dissenting notes in the verdict, raising objections over the maintainability of the ruling. Therefore, the petition, in my view, stands disposed of with split decision of 4-3.
The law minister said the decision of the petitions in the high courts in Lahore and Peshawar should be awaited.
PTI’s Reaction:
Reacting on the interpretation of minister Azam Nazir Tarar, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said both the law minister and the Attorney General need re-enrollment in law school. He said if the notes of the two judges, who had recused themselves from this bench, had to be taken into consideration as part of the final verdict, then why the notes of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mazahar Naqvi would not be considered into account?”
اعظم تارڑ اوراٹارنی جنرل کو لاء اسکول میں دوبارہ داخلہ لینے کی ضرورت ہے اگردو جج صاحبان کا فیصلہ جو اس بنچ سےعلیحدہ ہو چکے ہیں اس نوٹ کو اس بنچ کا فیصلہ ماننا ہے تو پھراعجاز الا حسن اور مظاہر نقوی کا نوٹ بھی اس فیصلے میں کیسے نہیں پڑھا جائیگا؟ بنچ پانچ جج صاحبان کا ہے نو کا نہیں
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 1, 2023
He reminded that the final verdict by the Supreme Court was given by the (re-constituted) five judges bench, and not the 9-judges bench. Fawad Chaudhry also re-tweeted a post by Barrister Ehtesham Amiruddin, terming the interpretation by federal law minister as ‘ridiculous’.
وفاقی وزیر قانون کی سپریم کورٹ کے فیصلے کی تشریح کہ معاملہ 4/3 سے حکومت کے حق میں ہوا ہے مضحکہ خیز ہے۔ ایسی تشریح کرنی ہے تو پھر جسٹس مظاہر اور جسٹس اعجاز کو بھی بینچ میں شامل تصور کیا جائے تو فیصلہ 5/4 سے پی ٹی آئی کے حق میں تصور ہو سکتا ہے۔ عدالتوں کے فیصلے کا مذاق مت بنائیں ۔
— Barrister Ehtesham Amir-ud-din (@Ehtesham_AD) March 1, 2023
