The government and its allied parties have decided to file a writ petition in the Supreme Court for the formation of a full court bench regarding the Punjab Chief Minister’s election case.

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, along with other Pakistan Democratic Movement members addressed a press conference on Monday centred on the prevailing political situation that took a tailspin after Hamza Shahbaz’s election as the chief minister of Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto said that these political parties want all the judges of the Supreme Court, as a full court bench, to hear the petition on the Punjab chief minister election. This would defeat conspiracies against democracy. Currently, a three-member bench is hearing the case.

Maryam Nawaz went over the details of the lead-up to the Punjab chief minister election and what happened after. Ever since Hamza was made chief minister he has not been allowed to work, she said. He is bouncing from court to parliament and parliament to court.

Analyst Shaukat Paracha of Aaj News explained that this press conference was a show of political strength on a legal matter in the Supreme Court. Maryam Nawaz was referring to judicial intervention during the time of the previous chief justice but the matter of interest is what the Supreme Court announces as the verdict in the Punjab Deputy Speaker case. That is due later today.

It is serious that Maryam talked about match-fixing and bench fixing, said Paracha. Bench fixing implies that a bench is fixed to favour one party or the other. “Her talk was hard-hitting,” he said. The PML-N used the strongest language.

According to Paracha, Bilawal Bhutto spoke more about democracy, which is a standard PPP line. Fazlur Rehman referred to a hidden hand. All parties with the exception of TLP and Jamaat-e-Islami were present. It is s powerful message that these are far-reaching decisions that a full bench should make, he said. They spoke not just about the Punjab Assembly matter, but older verdicts, such as the count of 25 votes.

Highlights

• Maryam Nawaz pointed out several examples of what she described was double standards in treatment from the courts. One example is the foreign funding case, which she said had not been decided in seven years.
• Maulana Fazlur Rehman: He endorsed Maryam Nawaz’s point of view and said, We not expect justice from the current bench and will request a full bench.
• Bilawal Bhutto: The economy and democracy were destroyed in 4 years, Imran Khan took a record number of loans.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi’s petition against Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on the chief minister election.

They are expected to then turn to the Supreme Court together with their lawyers to file the application for simultaneously hearing a petition of the Punjab Chief Minister, a revised petition of the Supreme Court Bar and other related petitions.

The hearing of one of the most important cases that could change the course of Pakistan’s politics is expected to be heard at around 1pm.

There are reports that the 25 former MPAs who were de-seated are thinking of putting forth their arguments before the SC. There are reports that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf may try to exert pressure which will ratchet up political temperatures.