PM Shehbaz Sharif consults legal team over SC election verdict

ISLAMABAD: A consultative session of the government’s legal team chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mulled over constitutional and legal options against the Supreme Court’s election verdict, citing sources, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The meeting attended by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ata Tarar, Akram Shaikh and the Attorney discussed various legal options and the situation may arise after non-compliance of the verdict of the apex court.

The session also consulted over the election commission’s future strategy, sources said.

PM Shehbaz Sharif has this evening summoned a meeting of parliamentary leaders of the coalition parties at PM House. The participants of the upcoming meeting will hold consultation after the court’s decision in the election case.

Sources said that the coalition parties will mull over a strategy to highlight the government’s stance in the parliament.

The court yesterday declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) March 22 order on Punjab elections null and void.

A three-member bench — comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar declared the ECP’s order of postponing the provincial assembly elections until ctober 08 as “unconstitutional” and ordered the government to release Rs21 billion funds for elections in Punjab by April 10.

The top court directed to conduct Punjab polls on May 14. The SC further directed the caretaker government in Punjab to assist the commission.

Federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court’s verdict on election.

A federal cabinet session chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, considered the decision of the apex court for holding elections in Punjab. The cabinet declared the court’s decision as a ‘minority verdict’ and ‘non implementable’.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar after the Supreme Court’s decision in the election delay case, also said that the court verdict will further fuel constitutional and political crises in the country.