This shows that the case may go on for long; it’s not that it will be decided in a span of four to five days.
It was also heard in the court that the dissolved assemblies can be reinstated, Pildat chief Ahmad Bilal Mehboob told Khabar Say Aagay host Raza Rumi, on Thursday.
He said that the PDM doesn’t seem unanimous on the elections, while the ruling alliance, too, isn’t apparently clear on the matter.
Pildat chief termed Maryam Nawaz’ criticism at the judiciary justified to some extent, and added that “for some time now, courts are making decisions based on public sentiment.”
Awais Babar said that the suo motu bench should be reconstituted over the exclusion of two senior judges, one of whom is in line to become the next Chief Justice of the country.
Read this too: Senior Judges Must ‘Ideally’ Be Included In Larger Bench: Former Judge
On the reference filed in the Supreme Judicial Council, the barrister noted that such references do not usually reach their conclusion.
Lawyer Ahmad Pansota said that the suo motu notice is in line with Article 184 of the Constitution. He added that the reference may in fact result into something.
Barrister Raza Rahman expressed bemusement at the questions raised during the hearing today, saying the Constitution is quite clear on all three of them.
In a breakthrough development on Wednesday night, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu notice of apparent delays in the elections of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, and formed a larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to hear the case.
The bench comprises the CJP himself, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar 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.
Flagship Naya Daur TV show Khabar Say Aagay streams Monday to Saturday at 9pm.