ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Supreme Court said on Monday it would set up a ‘larger bench’ to hear a presidential reference seeking the interpretation of Article 63-A, which sets down rules for the disqualification of lawmakers in the case of defection and violation of party policy.
The court’s decision follows attorney general Khalid Javed Khan submitting a reference on behalf of President Arif Alvi, after as many as 13 lawmakers from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party indicated they could vote against him in a no confidence motion set to be voted on later this month. The PTI now wants those legislators punished and has sought the court’s opinion on a constitutional article about defections.
In response, a two-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Munib Akhtar, decided to constitute a larger bench to hear the reference.
The reference, a copy of which is available with Arab news, calls defections from a political party a “morally reprehensible and destructive act which shakes the confidence of the public in the democratic process.”
Through the reference, the government has requested the court to give its opinion on whether a defector should be disqualified for life from electoral activity or public office and if his or her vote, after defecting, should be counted in a parliamentary motion.
During the hearing, the attorney general assured the court no lawmaker would be stopped from showing up in parliament and casting his or her vote on the no-confidence motion.
The chief justice urged the parliamentary parties to resolve their political differences in parliament, vowing that the apex court would not interfere in the proceedings of the lower house.
“Political parties should show their strength in parliament through constitutional and legal ways,” the chief justice remarked.
Pakistan’s key opposition parties launched a formal no-confidence vote against PM Khan earlier this month. Asad Qaiser, speaker of the National Assembly, convened a special session for this Friday to deliberate whether Khan still has majority support in the house.
Under the constitution, the parliament has three days to deliberate after which the lawmakers will vote, perhaps as early as Monday.
Pakistan top court constitutes ‘larger bench’ to decide presidential reference against defecting lawmakers
https://arab.news/yfqh4
Pakistan top court constitutes ‘larger bench’ to decide presidential reference against defecting lawmakers
- Up to 13 lawmakers from ruling party have indicated they could vote against PM in no confidence motion later this month
- PTI wants defectors punished, has filed presidential reference seeking new interpretation of constitutional article on defections
Pakistan’s Sharif congratulates Bangladesh PM hopeful on ‘resounding victory’ in election
- At 60, BNP’s Tarique Rahman is preparing to take charge of Bangladesh, driven by what he calls an ambition to ‘do better’
- The election comes nearly a year and half after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in a deadly uprising in the South Asian nation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated Tarique Rahman on the “resounding victory” of his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in parliamentary elections, saying that he looked forward to working closely with the new Bangladeshi leadership.
A year and a half after the deadly uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s iron-fisted regime, the BNP said they had a won a “sweeping victory” in parliamentary elections held on Thursday.
Final results are still to come, but the United States was swift to offer its congratulations to Rahman and the BNP for an “historic victory,” its embassy in Dhaka said.
At 60, BNP leader Rahman is preparing to take charge of the South Asian nation of 170 million people, driven by what he calls an ambition to “do better.”
“I extend my warmest felicitations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading the BNP to a resounding victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh,” Sharif said on X.
“I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections.”
Sharif’s statement also comes amid Islamabad’s efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh, amid a thaw in relations between the two countries. Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over bilateral ties.
Both countries have moved closer since August 2024, following the ouster of Hasina who was considered an India ally. While Pakistan-Bangladesh ties warm up, relations between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.
“I look forward to working closely with the new Bangladesh leadership to further strengthen our historic, brotherly multifaceted bilateral relations and advance our shared goals of peace, stability, and development in South Asia and beyond,” Sharif said.
