Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Monday remarked that the wars of the assembly should be fought in the assembly as the Supreme Court heard a case related to the rallies of the opposition and the government in the federal capital — prior to the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A two-member bench, led by CJP Bandial, and consisting of Justice Muneeb Akhtar, heard the plea filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) asking the apex court to intervene in order to prevent “anarchy“.
Three major leaders of the opposition – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazal chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman – were present at the hearing.
Justice Bandial said, “The court is not convinced on interfering in the NA’s affairs. It only wants that no one’s right to vote is affected.”
He added that “these are the internal matters of the assembly”, adding that it would be better to fight these battles inside the assembly.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Munib Akhtar observed that a member’s vote was considered a “collective right” – after joining a political party – during no-confidence proceedings.
He said that according to Article 95(ii), which is related to the procedure to bring in a no-confidence motion against the premier, a member’s individual vote had no “status”. He added that the court had earlier made similar observations in cases related to former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
