Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif lashed out at the Supreme Court over its verdict related to the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling regarding the election of the chief minister of the province, saying that all the institutions should work within their ambit.

“The court announced two different verdicts in same scenario,” the premier said while addressing the Parliament on Wednesday.

The session of the National Assembly, chaired by NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, passed a unanimous resolution over the judicial reforms.

The premier, while speaking on the floor of the House, said that the Constitution always kept the country united even during really bad times, adding that Constitution would guide the country in the future too.

The Parliament used the Constitution as a sacred trust, the prime minister said and added that Parliament was the “mother of the Constitution.”

He said according to the Constitution all the institutions should work within their ambit. “We have been making a mockery of the Constitution for the last 75 years,” PM Shahbaz added.

PTI responsible for economic crisis

Lamenting the former prime minister and PTI Chairperson Imran Khan for deteriorating the country’s economy, the premier said while referring to a Transparency International report that the PTI-led government had set the worst example of corruption.

The premier said that the PTI came into power in 2018 through rigging in the general election. “The RTS system had stopped working till late night and the results of many constituencies were delayed,” he added.

The premier blamed that the tactic was used to favour the PTI chief in winning the election.

He said that the PTI government allowed the export of sugar, adding that they first exported the wheat and then they had to import wheat from other countries.

He said that the incumbent government was making all-out efforts to bring inflation into control and put the economy in the right direction.

The premier said that Imran Khan had promised of providing hundreds of thousands of job but instead he deprived the people of their jobs during his government.

He said that no one had taken notice of the previous government when it refused to buy LNG when its price was at $3 per million British Thermal Unit (mmBtu).

He said that the PTI chairman in the past used to urge people not to pay taxes and utility bills.

“Imran Khan told people to transfer their remittances from abroad through hundi,” he added.

He said that the coalition government decided to keep politics aside to save the country from ruin.

Relief activities in progress

At the start of his address, the premier expressed sorrow over the loss of lives during the rains and flash floods that wreaked havoc across the country.

He said that he had held meetings with heads of all the provinces over the losses incurred during the rains and flash flooding. “Provincial governments are performing the relief operations in the affected areas,” he added.