Islamabad: The coalition government backtracked from its stance of boycotting the Supreme Court (SC) three-member bench hearing the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections delay case, said PTI senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhary on Monday.
“WE heard the government had boycotted the court proceedings but it all turned out to be different as they took U-turn from their yesterday stance,” said Fawad Chaudhary.
He was talking to the reporters outside the Supreme Court on Monday.
The PTI leader said that the CJP asked the lawyers of the PPP and the PML-N that how they could become party in the case when they had already announced to boycotted the three-member bench.
PPP leader Farooq H. Naek came to the rostrum and said that they did not boycott the court proceedings.
At this, Fawad Chaudhary said, the CJP asked him how they could become party when they had announced to boycott the proceedings.
The PTI leader said the PML-N leader Akram Sheikh and Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan also did not say that the PML-N or the government took U-turn from the previous stance of boycotting the court proceeding.
The CJP asked them to read the declaration, said Fawad, but they did not do so and showed willingness to become party in the case.
The CJP, Fawad said, asked the AGP about his request for full court.
“How the judges who recused earlier should sit in the full court,” he quoted the CJP as he asked the AGP during the proceedings.
The PTI leader said that it was very shameful that the government told the court that the economic situation was so pathetic that they did not have money for elections. The Secretary Defense, he said, also surprising by saying the security situation in Punjab was quite serious. He stated that the Finance Secretary said that they hardly had 20 billion rupees.
“The response is based on malafide intention,” said Fawad, adding that the no government said in the world that they could not provide security or finance.
He regretted that the police created bars in the way of the lawyers.
“I’m thankful to the lawyers for coming out and supporting us,” he added.
Sheikh Rashid said that he could not say anything but he was going to share what he felt. Sheikh Rashid said that he was hopeful that the law would prevail and that the decision would be in accordance with the Constitution.
“I’m hearing the forth case and I feel that the decision will come under the law,” said the former Interior Minister.
When asked about provision of security for the elections, Sheikh Rashid said that there were 200,000 retired army officers who could be brought back to provide security for elections.
