The other two justices forming the bench, include Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Munib Akhtar, as per the details.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — the ruling coalition of PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F— sought the removal of Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Mazahar Naqvi from the nine-member larger bench in a suo motu case on the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections.
The suo motu bench comprises Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Athar Minallah.
Interestingly, two senior judges — Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood — were conspicuously missing from the list: they are second and third in terms of seniority after the CJP, and their preclusion from the larger bench has raised many eyebrows.
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Farooq H Naik, counsel for the PPP, read the PDM’s joint statement in court, which read, “It has been said that Justice Ejaz and Justice Mazahar should be separated from the bench under the right to a fair trial.”
“On the request of both judges, suo motu notice was taken, so the judges should leave the bench, and both judges should not hear any case involving Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam,” he added.
Also, a day earlier, PMLN Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz said that the judges hearing the cases related to former premier Imran Khan were “remnants” of ex-lieutenant general Faiz Hameed.
“These judges have sprung into action again to give Imran Khan's dying politics a new life,” Maryam told those in attendance in Sargodha on the occasion of the party’s workers’ convention.
It is pertinent to mention here that the voting rights is a long-held demand of the PTI. The party has also been a strong supporter of using the electronic voting machines (EVMs) that could enable the process.