Tensions between Pakistan's national assembly, SC intensify over Punjab polls verdict

Pakistan's National Assembly did not stop at just rejecting the Supreme Court's April 4 verdict on the Punjab polls date, but went on to blatantly label it as “unlawful". On Thursday, the NA dismissed the SC's ruling that the elections in Punjab will be held on May 14 of this year.

This has intensified the NA's current standoff with the judiciary by making it "binding on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal cabinet not to implement it" altogether. According to Pakistani news outlet Dawn, the resolution was read out by Balochistan Awami Party's Khalid Magsi and was later passed with a majority vote by the assembly.

“This House rejects the minority decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision,” read the resolution, which is the second of its kind to be passed by the NA against the country's judiciary in over a week. The resolution was also backed by erstwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who said that the parliament is a supreme body and it was right to pass such a resolution against the SC, Dunya News reported. 

Pak lawmakers call SC's ruling 'unconstitutional'

Later on, lawmakers called the SC's verdict “unlawful and unconstitutional" and expressed “serious concerns over the court’s unwarranted interference in the political matters", exhorting the apex court to refrain from doing so. The proceedings were briefly attended by Sharif, who exited the house shortly after the resolution was passed. Only two members of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party objected to it, namely, Mohsin Leghari and Mahmood Baqi Moulvi.

It made a reference to the resolution passed on March 28, stating that the house was in support of the decision taken by four judges of the Supreme Court in the suo motu case. “Most of the circles also demanded the formation of a full court, but it was not approved and the viewpoint of other political parties, except one, was not heard,” said Thursday's resolution.

Furthermore, it backed the decision taken by a three-member SC bench under Justice Qazi Faez Isa which demanded that cases filed under Article 184(3) must not be set for hearings until the decisions on the full court meeting. The lawmakers expressed "deep concern" over the "move to stop its implementation through the executive circular” and  “hastily fixing the same judicial decision for hearing before another controversial bench and giving a quick decision on it in a few minutes".