ISLAMABAD: A three-member Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, is scheduled to resume the hearing of the elections delay suo moto today at 11:30am.
The three-member bench comprises Cheif Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. The hearing aims to address the delay in the country’s elections and its impact on the upcoming May 14 date for elections. The order is binding on all authorities .
Political Parties Given Time to Reach Agreement
During the previous hearing, the court had asked political parties to hold talks on April 26 and submit their response by April 27 after giving stakeholders a chance to reach an agreement. The court had requested the political parties to decide quickly since the May 14 election date was still in effect.
Delisting of Bench and Cancellation of Cases
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial is reportedly unwell and will not hear any other case on Wedenesday. The sudden delisting of the bench resulted in the cancellation of all the cases scheduled for hearing on Wednesday. The delisted bench was supposed to hear twelve important cases, and after the delisting, the list of cases of bench number two was also cancelled.
Significance of Punjab Elections
The hearing regarding the elections in Punjab is expected to be significant, with many eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case.
Pleas Submitted to Prevent Caretaker Governments
On Wednesday, two pleas were submitted to the apex court. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed one seeking restraining orders against caretaker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while another petition sought the appointment of a caretaker prime minister and the chief election commissioner for transparent polls.
PTI’s Petition Against Caretaker Governments
The PTI’s petition, filed by Tariq A Rahim and Imtiaz Rashid Siddiqui, asked the court to stop Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and KP Caretaker CM Azam Khan from exercising their power. It requested the court to issue appropriate orders to regulate day-to-day operations of the two provinces under the apex court’s supervision.
Petition for the Removal of Partisan Officials
Another petition was filed by Zahoor Mehdi Faisal, seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, PM Shehbaz Sharif, PDM leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and President Dr Arif Alvi, calling them “partisans”.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
