The National Assembly Speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, has called for a joint parliamentary session to address today after President Arif Alvi returned the unsigned Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023.
The president has asked the parliament to reconsider the bill, citing that it seemingly goes beyond the scope of the parliament and could potentially be challenged as colorable legislation.
The bill in question aimed to curtail the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), including the suo motu authority (the power to act independently without external prompting) and the formation of benches within the court.
The joint session, initially planned for April 10 at 2 pm, has been rescheduled to 4 pm today, as per a circular issued by the National Assembly Secretariat.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has openly criticized President Alvi for returning the bill unsigned, accusing him of acting more as a worker for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party than fulfilling his constitutional duties as the president. In a tweet, the prime minister expressed his disappointment with the president’s actions, arguing that they have belittled the August Office by prioritizing loyalty to PTI leader Imran Niazi over the Constitution and the demands of the presidential Office.
The joint parliamentary session will discuss the president’s concerns and decide on the next steps regarding the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023.
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