PM Shehbaz Sharif chairs NSC meeting amid political, economic crises

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday chaired National Security Committee (NSC) meeting to deliberate on political and economic turmoil and security situation in the country, ARY News reported.

The two-hour-long high-powered huddle was held at PM with senior cabinet ministers, services and intelligence chiefs as well as all the relevant officials in attendance.

Sources said that Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum gave a detailed briefing on the ongoing operations against terrorism and the security situation of the country.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also briefed the NSC meeting on the economic situation of the country.

The meeting comes after the Supreme Court nullified the electoral watchdog’s decision about the delay in holding polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fixed May 14 as the date for polls in the province.

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

NA rejects SC verdict

The National Assembly Thursday passed a resolution rejecting the three-member Supreme Court bench’s verdict on the Punjab polls.

The resolution, moved by Balcohsitan Awami Party (BAP) lawmaker Khalid Magsi, was approved by a majority of the lawmakers.

The motion urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet not to abide by the three-member Supreme Court ruling.

Reading out the resolution on the floor of the National Assembly, Magsi said: “This House rejects the minority decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision.”

The resolution noted that multiple sections of the society had called on the top court to form a full court bench but it was ignored and only one political party was heard in the case.

It further said that the house considers the conduct of general elections simultaneously across the country as the solution to all the problems. The resolution also demanded the formation of a full court bench to review the “wrong interpretation” of Article 63-A.

‘Pitting armed forces against judiciary’

Former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has said that ‘it is now clear what wants – any which way to get out of elections’.

While slamming the rulers, Imran Khan wrote on Twitter, “They brought in an unconstitutional bill on SC [Supreme Court] & an NA [National Assembly] resolution against judiciary. Now tomorrow an NSC meeting is called to try & use security as pretext for postponement of elections. This will pit armed forces directly against not just judiciary but also the nation.”

It is now clear what PDM wants – any which way to get out of elections. They brought in an unconstitutional bill on SC & an NA resolution against Judiciary. Now tomorrow an NSC mtg called to try & use security as pretext for postponement of elections. This will pit armed forces…

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 6, 2023