A three-member bench of the Supreme Court told representatives of major politcal parties on Thursday that they should sit together and try to find consensus on elections and adjourned proceedings till April 27.

“Having heard the positive statements of political leadership of the country representing all major political parties with respect to the simultaneous holding of General Elections of the National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies gives cause for optimism that they would agree to an election date sooner rather than later,” the court’s written order said.

The order also said that Farooq Naek and Khawaja Saad Rafique had stated in the hearing that the government parties were ready to hold a dialogue with the opposition parties to find a consensus date for elections.

However, the order also said that while PTI’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi was ready to negotiate within the framework of the constitution, negotiations should not be used as a ‘ploy’ to delay elections.

The court has once again impressed that while it welcomes the negotiations, the order of April 4 that ordered elections on May 14 stands and is binding. Therefore, the parties should negotiate to find a date as soon as possible.

The bench was led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and included Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan. Representatives of all major political parties were present in court. The bench had initially told political parties to try and find a consensus by 4pm.

However, Justice Munib Akhtar left for Karachi at 4pm on a flight and the attorney general and Farooq Naek told the chief justice that more time was needed for talks. They also told the court that only the higher leadership of major political parties could find a framework for political negotiations.

The politicians present in court today included Pakistan People’s Party’s Qamar Zaman Kaira and Farooq H. Naek, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s Khawaja Saad Rafique and Azam Nazeer Tarrar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry. PMLN’s Ayaz Sadiq also appeared in court to speak on behalf Balochistan National Party.

Court summons political leaders

The Supreme Court has summoned top political leaders including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, former president Asif Ali Zardari and others on Thursday in the election delay case.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar heard the petition filed by the Defence Ministry.

In the petition, the Ministry has asked the court to withdraw its order directing Punjab polls on May 14 and instead hold the elections simultaneously.

In the order, it the bench has also asked PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, ANP’s Asfandyar Wali, and PML-N Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to appear before the court.

The apex court also warned the government of “serious consequences” if it failed to release the funds required for conducting polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while hearing the defence ministry’s request.

Earlier, the apex court had issued notices to all political parties in this regard. It had also issued notices to the Election Commission, the attorney general, and the federal government.

The tenure of the National Assembly and two other provinces — Sindh and Balochistan — will end later this year and the federal government wants the polls to take place then, not in May, as directed by the SC on April 4.