Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over a meeting of the ruling alliance today to examine the ongoing political crisis in the nation and issues being handled by the Supreme Court.
The leaders of the allied parties will develop a plan to deal with the PTI and legal problems during the meeting, which will take place at the PM’s house in Model Town.
In the midst of controversy over the suo motu notice issued in this regard, the Supreme Court is currently considering a case over the postponement of elections for the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
Elections in the two provinces were postponed on March 22 by an order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which the PTI had appealed. A five-member bench originally formed to hear the plea had been dissolved twice after two judges recused themselves from the case following a Supreme Court order postponing all proceedings under Article 184(3).
However, a three-member bench presided over by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and made up of Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar is currently considering the PTI’s appeal following the recusal of two justices.
The current issue was made worse on Friday when the court rejected the government’s request to establish a full court. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has already rejected the bench.
The joint investigative team (JIT) report, which initially acquired some startling information about the persons who were hiding in Imran Khan’s Zaman Park mansion, is reportedly being eagerly awaited by the ruling alliance.
According to the sources, the government alliance would not support conversation with Imran or the PTI because “they are not trustworthy people.”
Imran is reportedly speaking with the leaders of the ruling alliance through a back channel. The alliance’s top officials will also talk about Imran’s impatience with communication and its motivations at their meeting today.
Azam Nazeer Tarrar, the federal minister for law and justice, will provide a briefing on the general condition in the Supreme Court litigation around the issue of elections for the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP as well as a contested suo motu.
Before PM Shehbaz left for Lahore, he held a crucial meeting with Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan in Islamabad. He also departed for Lahore and would be accessible for advice throughout the meeting.
According to the sources, the government would take into account the possibility of boycotting the Supreme Court’s three-member bench proceedings after the court’s bench size was reduced from nine to three as a result of judges recusing themselves.
The leaders of the ruling alliance would also take into consideration a suggestion to make certain inquiries at the Supreme Judicial Council. A political strategy to deal with the upcoming agitation by the PTI and Imran would be drawn up in the meeting. Quaid Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would take part in the conversation from London, according to the sources.
