Islamabad [Pakistan], May 7 : Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said that if the Constitution mandated polls within 90 days of an assembly's dissolution, then we are duty-bound to say so, according to Dawn.
Speaking at the event in Lahore, Bandial said, "When it comes to constitutional enforcement we must not blink our eyes. If it says 90 days for holding elections, [then] it is our duty to say that and not our choice, instead of finding a reason why we should avoid saying that."
He further stated, "I'm sorry, I'm not worthy of controversy, I'm a very humble person. Please don't say that you support us. I'm just one of the members of the Supreme Court. You must support the Supreme Court if you stand up for the law and the Constitution and not [for] any individual," reported Dawn.
He also stated that when the Supreme Court makes the judgement on the basis of merit then its judgement has moral authority. That becomes even more important when those judgements are not appealed or no review is filed. If a review is filed then it will be heard because no judgement is binding unless it becomes final.
CJP Bandial said he was "optimistic" that the nation's leaders, institutions and people were all "committed to the Constitution".
Referring to the negotiation process between the government and the PTI, he said the apex court was informed that they had not concluded yet.
Last month, the Supreme Court, while hearing a PTI petition, had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections in the Punjab Assembly on May 14. However, the government had rejected the apex court's orders.
After repeated back and forth last week, the Supreme Court on April 20 afforded a temporary respite to the country's main political parties, giving them time till April 26 to develop a consensus on the date for elections to the provincial and national assemblies, so they could be held simultaneously across the country. Negotiations subsequently followed between the government and the PTI but remained inconclusive, as per the report in Dawn.
The PTI and the government have since provided their reports about the negotiations to the Supreme Court, and a judgment is expected in the case.
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