Apex court verdict has opened the doors for floor-crossing,
Lahore(Staff Reporter);Court Grants PTI Unrequested Relief, Info Minster Punjab, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari lambasted the Supreme Court’s verdict in the reserved seats case, accusing it of establishing a dangerous “doctrine of necessity” that favors the ruling party.
In a scathing press conference in Lahore, Bokhari argued that the court’s decision granted unwarranted relief to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), exceeding what the party had even requested. She criticized the court’s apparent bias, suggesting that its “love” for the ruling party led to an unfair outcome. “The nation suffers when the doctrine of necessity is invoked,” she warned, implying that the court’s decision would have far-reaching and damaging consequences for Pakistan.”
In a major legal victory for the PTI, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the party is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.
The decision has not only paved the way for the PTI’s return to the parliament, which was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) December 2023 ruling.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the SC’s full bench announced the 8-5 majority verdict, nullifying the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order wherein it had upheld the ECP’s decision denying the reserved seats to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The order was endorsed by Justice Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.
ECP Clarifies: Never Denied PTI’s Status as a Political Party”
In its verdict, the top court declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol does not in any manner affect the Constitutional or legal rights of a political party to participate in an election, whether general or by, and to field candidates and that the commission is under a Constitutional duty to apply all statutory provisions accordingly.
Commenting on the order, Azma Bokhari said the verdict has opened the doors for floor-crossing and the one who was not a party in the case was provided relief, without hearing any affected party, she said.
“The constitution does not grant unlimited power to anyone,” she said adding that the judiciary and doctors had no room for error.
