Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said on Friday that the apex court will not “sit idle” regarding its order to hold Punjab elections on May 14 if talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) failed.
His comments came as the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) resumed the hearing of the petitions for holding elections the same day across the country.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, heard the case. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan, PPP lawyer Farooq H. Naek, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique and others were also present.
After hearing the arguments from PDM and PTI, the court adjourned the hearing.
After the negotiations came to an end on Tuesday, the PTI submitted a report to the court stating that no resolution was reached and requested that the court enforce its April 4 order regarding elections in Punjab.
During the proceedings, the chief justice said that the government and the PTI could continue the negotiations “if both the parties were interested”, but at the same time expressed displeasure over their “lack of interest” in a substantial dialogue.
He also said that the court only had to see if both sides could agree on a date for elections, adding that the SC’s responsibility was to uphold the law and Constitution.
During the hearing, the PPP counsel shared that there had been five rounds of negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the ruling alliance.
Reading out loud the coalition government’s report on talks with the opposition, he said that a “major breakthrough” was achieved during the dialogue.
The CJP inquired why the IMF agreement had been emphasised in the government’s response.
“The issue in the court is constitutional, not political,” he said.
On Thursday, the bench released the detailed order of the April 27 hearing, saying that there was no change in its April 4 verdict with regard to the election in Punjab on May 14.
The court had appreciated the efforts of all parties to try and end the current political impasse and in particular their voluntary agreement to enter into negotiations to choose a single date for holding general elections to the National Assembly and all the four provincial assemblies.
The court, in its order released on Thursday, “made it clear that the talks and negotiations between the two sides were entirely to be their own effort, without any direction or order of the Court in this regard.”
It also said; “the order of April 4 remained unchanged.”
‘Punjab polls on May 14’
Last month, the apex court struck down the ECP’s decision to delay elections in Punjab. The government had been attempting to defer the provincial election by citing security concerns and economic instability.
A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, alongside Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, declared the Commission’s actions as “unconstitutional.”
The court further ordered the elections to be held on May 14, thereby upholding the democratic process and rule of law.
Last month, the Commission justified its decision to delay the election in Punjab by more than five months. The deteriorating security situation in the cash-strapped country was cited as the primary reason.
However, the move was criticised by Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who has been pushing for early elections since being removed from power in April of last year.
In contrast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has remained steadfast in his position that elections should be held later this year, in line with the demands of the ruling coalition.
Despite Imran’s protests, the court’s verdict has upheld the democratic principles of free and fair elections, which are essential for ensuring the stability and progress of any nation.