Karachi, April 03, 2023 (PPI-OT):Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that if a larger bench is not formed on the issue of Elections in Punjab, then there is a danger of serious constitutional crisis, adding, what is happening in the judiciary at the moment is not a matter of just elections but a trial of the Supreme Court, itself. Speaking to the media after condoling a party office-bearer, Ghulam Rasool Laghari, whose brother, a policeman was martyred in the Karachi Police Office attack, Chairman PPP said that once again the incidents of terrorism in the country are rising. He said that the police, security forces, army and people had defeated the terrorists by fighting them. “In between, a selected prime minister was imposed, and due to his wrong decisions, the country is once again facing terrorism,” he added.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto laid the foundation of the country’s first consensus Constitution of 1973. He further said that in our country many dictators came, one of them was General Pervez Musharraf, whose chief polling agent was Imran Khan. He said that the undemocratic clauses were included in the constitution during Musharraf’s rule. “Such clauses were removed by President Asif Ali Zardari through 18th Amendment and restored the 1973 Constitution in its original form’” he pointed out. He said that the descendants of dictators and those whose past was based on anti-democracy have all joined the PTI.
In response to a question asked by the journalist, the PPP Chairman said that the three judges of the Supreme Court should think about what is happening, adding that they should prove their conduct if they wanted the Judiciary not to be a tiger force. “Not only the opposition but also the rest of the judges are disagreeing with the three judges,” he continued. “It has never happened in the country, as it has happening now that a nine-member bench is reduced to a three-member bench,” he pointed out.
He said that it was not appropriate that these 3 judges should be a part of this bench, while Justice Ijazul Hassan is also a part of this bench, who was separated from the bench after the objections of the lawyers. It is appropriate that a larger bench should be made, if this is not done, history will remember Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial as a Chief Justice who pushed Pakistan into the quagmire of dictatorship while sitting in a three judge-bench. “The past of the Supreme Court is also before the nation, and I am speaking from Larkana right now,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the fight for the “Takht-e-Lahore” has become a war of ego, and this political contest has taken the entire country hostage, adding that Pakistan People’s Party is not worried about the popularity of Imran Khan and we will contest in the elections with full force. “We have defeated Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Multan and Imran Khan in Malir,” he added. Chairman PPP said that it has been a year since the local body elections in Sindh, but no one is worried about this. “We defeated Imran Khan in the local body elections too, but since PPP is going to elect its own mayor in Karachi for the first time, the Supreme Court also didn’t think of this matter,” he added.
In response to another question, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that by now it is known that the Registrar of the Supreme Court is a ‘Super Emperor’ and if he wants, he can overturn the decision of the three-member bench under a notification. He said that when the methods of dictatorship are visible in the Supreme Court and when the judges themselves are saying that we have a one-man show, then before anyone else takes a step, it would be better that the Chief Justice and the judges themselves constitute a bench. “If the judges will form a larger bench, not only we will defend their every decision but will also implement them,” he added.
Foreign Minister said that we believe that the elections should be held on time and in a democratic manner, but at the same time we also understand that the objections of our allies are quite strong. He said that due to the floods, the victims are still suffering in Sindh, Balochistan, South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “If the flood victims’ money goes elsewhere, we will take action,” he warned. Meanwhile, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari condoled party leader Ghulam Rasool Laghari on the martyrdom of his brother, who was martyred in the Karachi Police Office attack.
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