A reference should be filed against the three top court judges, who fixed May 14 as the election date for Punjab Assembly, in the Supreme Judicial Council, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday.
“How a person [CJP] should be allowed to become prime minister, defence minister, interior minister, chief election commissioner, Parliament, and government,” he said at a press conference in London.
The statement came after the apex court ruling that declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to postpone the election to the Punjab Assembly from April 30 to October 8 as “unconstitutional”.
The ruling coalition, whose demand for the full court was rejected, was of the view that it would further aggravate the political crisis.
The former premier described the whole Supreme Court proceedings as a “drama”, which had engulfed the country. Without naming PTI chief Imran Khan, he alleged that all such attempts were made to bring a man to power.
Since Punjab has a large population, the results from the province in elections are considered as a decider in the country.
Sharif went on to term the SC decision as “double standards”, claiming that he was evicted in a minute from the power for not holding a permit, Iqama.
“I don’t know what we did as someone is removed and someone is brought [to the power] and someone is given a life sentence, he said and alleged that the doctrine of necessity was brought for dictators while prime ministers like him were apparently treated badly. “Dictators are hugged and worn garland and those who broke the Constitution are given rights to amend the Constitution.”
Sharif was of the view that the apex court decision has paralysed the government and Parliament. “There is no writ of the state,” he said and wondered how Parliament would run its business after the verdict.
But he stressed that the august house should assert itself if Pakistan “has to survive” and questioned why such things were not happening in other countries.
He recalled that a doctrine of necessity was applied in 1953. “Is it only for dictators? And is it only being used for dictators? We are only seeing that only elected governments are removed time after time. I am talking about those judges who have played this role. The three-judge bench is not accepting the decision of four judges.”
Sharif said: “This is not a decision and as per judges, this is a one-man show. Is this done for a ladla this is very sorrowful. This is the very painful situation from which we are going. I think a reference should be filed against these three judges and this decision is the charge sheet against these judges.”
He wondered why a full court was not formed despite demand from many circles.