Deputy Speaker’s Ruling; Can’t Pass Decision In the Air, SC

Supreme Court takes suo moto notice of constitutional crisis

Web Desk — On Monday, the Supreme Court adjourned its hearing on the legality of the current situation in the country following the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan by National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri and the subsequent dissolution of the NA by President Arif Alvi on the advice of the prime minister until 12 pm on Tuesday (tomorrow).

In an earlier statement, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said the court would issue a “reasonable order” on the issue today.

The CJP made his remarks as a larger bench of the Supreme Court – including Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail – took up the matter.

During the proceedings, Justice Ahsan noted that there were violations in the proceedings of the no-trust resolution.

The CJP observed that a debate before voting on the no-confidence motion had been clearly mentioned in the law but didn’t take place.

Meanwhile, Justice Akhtar expressed dubiousness over the deputy speaker’s constitutional authority to pass such a ruling.

In my opinion, he said, only the speaker had the right to pass the ruling. “The deputy speaker chairs the session on the non-availability of the speaker.”

On the other hand, the CJP also observed that the deputy speaker’s ruling mentioned the meeting of the parliamentary committee for security. “The opposition deliberately didn’t attend the meeting,” he said.

Farooq H. Naek, who was representing the joint opposition, pleaded with the court to issue a verdict on the matter today, pointing out to the bench that the president had already asked for names to appoint as caretaker prime minister.

But Justice Ahsan said it was impossible to pass the verdict today, adding that the apex court’s decision will have far-reaching outcomes. “We respect the opinions of political parties.”

“We can’t pass a decision in the air,” Justice Bandial said, adjourning the hearing till 12 pm on Tuesday.