- The sources say the meeting will mull over the next strategy to deal with the situation arising out of the legal defeat to the government against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of coalition partners to discuss the government’s next course of action after the Supreme Court verdict, the sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said that the meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair would deliberate on their possible strategies to deal with the situation arising out of the legal battle for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
“The PM summoned the meeting to deliberate on the possible way to deal with the political as well as the legal situation,” said the source privy to the development. They said that the meeting would take place on Wednesday evening.
The meeting call with the parliamentary leaders of the coalition partners came after the Supreme Court set aside the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and fixed May 14 as the date to hold elections in Punjab. The top court also ordered the federal government to provide the funds to the ECP to conduct elections and ensure security as well. In its verdict, the apex court also directed the interim government of Punjab to assist the ECP in holding the elections.
The federal cabinet held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon and rejected the decision of the Supreme Court, terming it impractical.
According to the sources, the federal cabinet said that the Supreme Court’s verdict was a minority verdict and they decided to take up this matter on the floor of the National Assembly.
Later, addressing the house, the PM likened the verdict with the case of PPP founder and former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He said it was the same date when the leader like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death.
He said that the Federal cabinet asked the top court to take immediate action on the Presidential Reference regarding the judicial execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
“The Cabinet thinks that a full court should hear the matter and correct the wrongs committed in the past,” said the PM while sharing the cabinet’s decision.
Maryam Nawaz terms bench as facilitators of Imran Khan
Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice-president Maryam Nawaz said that the verdict is the last attack of that conspiracy which started after rewriting the Constitution and handing him over the Punjab government with full permission to break the law, so that he [Imran Khan] could be selected again under their supervision.
In another tweet, Maryam Nawaz said that the three-member bench now took that responsibility which Saqib Nisar, Khosa and Faiz did in 2018.
She also tweeted that it was not enough that the federal government rejected the Supreme Court verdict.
“Bring all those to dock who by violating the law and Constitution made an attempt to impose ‘Ladla’,” she added.
