ISLAMABAD (Republic policy) – The Supreme Court on Friday resumed hearing of the suo motu case about the delay in announcing a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A nine-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, is hearing the case.
As the hearing resumed, Farooq H Naek objected to the inclusion of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mazahar Naqvi. He said the two judges should not be part of the bench hearing the poll date case. He also complained of receiving no copy of the notice and requested the court issue copies to all stakeholders. Mr Naek asked the top judge to form the larger bench to hear the case.
At CJP Bandial, I remarked today that we would only mark the attendance and hear all the parties on Monday. “I am glad to see that all parties are in court,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) also submitted their reservations regarding the bench and sought to exclude the two judges from the court.
On Thursday, the bench issued notices to the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), Shehzad Ata Elahi, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the government through the cabinet secretary, chief secretaries of Punjab and KP, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), all the advocate generals of the provinces, and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), directing them to submit their arguments on Friday (today).
As no notices can be issued to President Dr Arif Alvi and the two governors under Article 248 that provides them immunity, the apex court has ordered principal secretaries to contact them to get their point of view on the matter.
