Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan has suggested that the government may file a reference against the three Supreme Court judges presiding over the election delay case in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Interminister’s comments come after the three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, declined to form a full court bench despite requests from the ruling alliance and continued hearing the case after recusals.
The case revolves around a petition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking a judicial order for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Following instructions from party leader Imran Khan, PTI dissolved its provincial assemblies in the two provinces in January, aiming for early elections.
Tensions have intensified since the Supreme Court’s order on March 1, directing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in both provinces within 90 days of the assemblies’ dissolution.
In a recent interview, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that although the government has not yet decided to file a reference against the three-member bench, including the chief justice, it may do so. He noted that the government could bring references against judges with whom it has concerns and might engage in discussions to file references against the judges due to serious apprehensions.
Rana Sanaullah stated that the three judges have a history of issuing rulings against PML-N. He referred to a decision interpreting Article 63(A) of the Constitution, which PML-N and others have criticized as knowledgeable in the law.
According to the Interior Minister, the PML-N government was overthrown in Punjab due to the Article 63(A) verdict. However, he suggested that the three judges seemed intent on ruling themselves, regardless of the cost.
Initially, a nine-member bench was formed, later reduced to seven, then five, and finally four. The current bench is composed of three judges. All three have rejected forming a full court bench and disregarded their fellow judges’ requests.
Rana Sanaullah stated that filing a reference against the judges is their only means of protest. He urged PTI leader Imran Khan to directly approach Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asif Zardari, or Shehbaz Sharif if he is serious about negotiations, as offers made on Khan’s behalf hold no weight. Imran Khan has not personally initiated any discussions, he noted.
The Interior Minister said that the leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) met on Saturday. All coalition leaders, including Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who attended the meeting via video link from Dubai, unanimously agreed that the proceedings of the three-member bench were unconstitutional and illegal.
