ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday criticized the country’s judiciary for practicing “double standards” of justice while adjudicating cases related to different political leaders.
The prime minister issued the statement in the National Assembly only a day after a three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, declared that Sharif’s son, Hamza Shehbaz, was not the legal and constitutional chief minister of Punjab.
Prior to the court proceeding, the ruling coalition had requested the court to constitute a full bench to hear the case, though its demand was turned down.
Later, the government and its allies had boycotted the court hearing.
“The courts should ensure equal treatment [to all political leaders],” the prime minister said. “They should not discriminate.”
“If we fail to promote sanctity, equity, law and justice, history won’t remember us,” he continued. “I am talking about the double standards.”
The ruling coalition toppled former prime minister Imran Khan’s government in April by bringing a no-confidence motion against him in parliament, though Khan later maintained his removal from power was part of a US-backed foreign conspiracy.
The US and the coalition government have repeatedly rejected the accusation.
“We changed the government through a vote of confidence and accepted the challenge [to rule the country] amid a deteriorating economy,” Sharif said while reiterating his administration’s resolve to address Pakistan’s financial woes.
He pointed out that the country’s 1973 constitution was unanimously accepted by everyone and clearly demarcated the powers of state institutions.
“The constitution tells these institutions to work within their respective ambits,” he said, adding the document was subverted many times in the past which had also led to the breakup of the country.
Speaking about the judiciary’s attitude toward different political leaders, Sharif wondered why courts did not take notice of ex-PM Khan’s “wrongdoings.”
“No matter what, I want to say that we will make Pakistan a great country despite all challenges and tough conditions,” he added.
Later, the National Assembly passed a resolution to uphold supremacy of parliament and constitute special committee for judicial reforms.
The resolution was presented by law minister Azam Nazir Tarar and mentioned the “trichotomy of powers among three organs of the State.” It mentioned the legislature was responsible for lawmaking while judiciary was mandated to interpret those laws.
The resolution added that parliament “shall not allow any other institution to transgress and encroach on its powers.”
“Hence, this house RESOLVES that to ensure the supremacy of the parliament and the Constitution in letter and spirit, it hereby constitutes a joint special committee of both houses to institute the requisite judicial reforms, which are the need of the hour,” it said.
Earlier, interior minister Rana Sanaullah informed the media the federal cabinet had decided to withdraw a curative review petition against a Supreme Court judge, Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
“There is no precedent of any such curative review,” he told reporters after the cabinet meeting. “It was filed [by the previous government] to keep Qazi Faez Isa under pressure.”
Sanaullah said a cabinet sub-committee had also been constituted to take action against all those involved in the filing of a “fake reference” against the Supreme Court judge.
On the advice of Khan’s government, President Dr. Arif Alvi filed the reference against Justice Isa in May 2019, accusing him of acquiring three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015. The reference maintained the judge had not disclose the properties in his wealth returns.
Justice Isa contested the allegation, saying he was neither the direct nor indirect beneficial owner of the flats.
In June 2020, the Supreme Court rejected the reference against the judge by calling it “invalid.”
PM calls out judiciary’s ‘double standards’ after unfavorable verdict in CM Punjab case
https://arab.news/2g57p
PM calls out judiciary’s ‘double standards’ after unfavorable verdict in CM Punjab case
- Shehbaz Sharif says the constitution demarcates powers of state institutions, requires them to stay within their ambit
- National Assembly passes resolution to uphold supremacy of parliament, constitutes committee for judicial reforms
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
