ISLAMABAD : April 24,2023: Pakistan is entering into the most decisive week of its 75-year history as Supreme Court takes-up the most controversial case for final hearing on April 27. This week will decide where Pakistan is heading to.
Keeping in view the development that took place in the recent weeks in the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), its hard rather almost impossible to believe that Pakistan will crawl back from the point where it had made to land in.
On one hand , Pakistan ‘s economic crisis is getting unmanageable and on the other the government – top judiciary spat is shaping up like a monster posing serious threat to the system.
None of the government and top judiciary seems ready to give any space to each other to let the system survive.
Top judiciary is convinced that it’s only duty is to ‘protect’ the constitution by ensuring to call the fresh elections in the Punjab within 90 days from the date of dissolution of the provincial assembly.
Rightly so. Top court of Pakistan is meant to protect the constitution and ensure its implementation in letter and spirit. Having acknowledged the sanctity of the constitution and role of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) , it also counts in protection of the same constitution that SCP should have addressed the most glaring question as to why and in what circumstances the provincial assemblies of the Punjab and KPK were dissolved .
Unfortunately , this most important question was simply left unaddressed by Bandial court.
Leaving this basic question unaddressed this time will have lasting impact on the system . It can encourage any ambitious king to dissolve the assemblies as and when he wishes.
Holding elections again and again will leave the system in jeopardy .
The court should understand that the elections cost billions to cash-strapped Pakistan.
Unfortunatly. The court has overruled many chances to have better sense in the case.
For example , SCP could form a full court and address the grievances of the ruling alliance and subsequently give a decision which could be accepted by all the stakeholders.
Its extremely unfortunately that CJP led bench of those judges whose credibility is already in question for any reason opted to over rule the demand of forming a full court and decided go ahead with the case at any cost.
Now any decision in the case will add to instability of Pakistan. It will be a bad precedent in Pakistan’s judicial system also .
The government led by prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif , too seems convinced that its spat with top judiciary was the its only prime obligation and future hangs on its positive outcome. It’s ministers are directly attacking top court and providing golden chances to some opportunist legal hawks like Aitzaz Ahsin to justify absolutely partial actions of SCP.
Both parties -the court and government should not forget that their fight for power may invite the real power and in that case they may have to face the consequences of their actions that cost Pakistan very dearly and brought it down to the knees economically and otherwise.