Federal govt demands CJP Umar Ata Bandial's resignation

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial tender his resignation, ARY News reported.

Earlier, CJP Justice Athar Minallah issued a dissenting note on the suo motu regarding the delay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab elections.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, while addressing a press conference, said that Justice Umar Ata Bandial should step down as he affected the position of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

She added that the ruling government will not accept the facilitation of a ‘constitutional violator like Imran Khan’. It has become evident that judges are taking the side of PTI chief Imran Khan.

While mentioning Justice Athar Minallah’s dissenting note, the federal minister raised objection on the SC verdict and said that Justice Athar Minallah dismissed the petition after consulting with the judges, then how come to another judgment was passed on it?

“It is not a case of the election but a matter of bench fixing,” Aurangzeb said.

Marriyum Aurangzeb raised questions that if the other judges are not accepting the judicial process, how can the public accept the verdict? She asked why the judiciary is being used to facilitate someone and why have the judges distanced themselves from this case.

READ: JUSTICE ATHAR MINALLAH SAYS PTI MNAS’ RESIGNATIONS ESCALATED POLITICAL CRISIS

While referring to the SC verdict, Aurangzeb said that such a decision has never been made in the judicial or constitutional history of Pakistan. She asked that if a constitutional crisis arises from the protector of the constitution, then who will trust the decisions of the judiciary?

She said that the ruling government also want to hold an election but not due to someone’s threat or influence.

While talking about the National Action Plan (NAP), She said that the stakeholders decided to re-implement the plan. She added that the misuse of powers and arbitrary interpretation of the Constitution cannot be accepted.

SC verdict

The electoral watchdog’s decision about the delay in holding polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was nullified by the Supreme Court.

A three-member bench — comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — announced the reserved verdict on the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order postponing the elections in Punjab and KP

The Supreme Court declared the ECP’s order postponing the provincial assembly elections until October 8 as “unconstitutional” and ordered the government to release Rs21 billion funds for elections in Punjab by April 10.