ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) has passed a resolution against the constitution of the Supreme Court’s (SC) eight-member larger bench on the judicial reforms bill, ARY News reported on Thursday.
The resolution was presented by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Agha Rafiqullah. It stated that the House rejected the constitution of the SC eight-member larger bench without two senior judges against the judicial reforms law.
The resolution demanded the dissolution of the SC’s larger bench. It added that the parliament is solely authorised for legislation. The House expressed concerns over the Supreme Court’s interference in parliamentary affairs.
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It further stated that the top court is making unjust verdicts and the House condemns the acceptance of the petition against the bill.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) ruled coalition government rejected the 8-member bench of the Supreme Court formed to hear a petition challenging the Supreme Court (Procedure and Practice) Bill 2023.
The bench headed by CJP Umar Ata Bandial includes Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Muzahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi.
In a statement released on Thursday after a consultative meeting, the ruling coalition rejected the move and called it ‘controversial’.
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The statement stated that the move has never been seen before in the history of Pakistan and the court. The government parties claim that it is an attempt to destroy the credibility of the highest court and make the constitutional process of justice ‘meaningless’.
The statement pointed out that respected judges of the Supreme Court have also expressed their objections to such actions.
The ruling parties expressed their disappointment that no judge from smaller provinces such as Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been included in the bench. They called the move an ‘attack’ on the authority of the parliament, which they will resist.
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