Supreme Court judges debated on Tuesday whether President Arif Alvi had the authority to act without the recommendation of the cabinet as a five-member bench resumed hearing its suo motu proceedings regarding the delay in the elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial had yesterday split a larger bench into a five-member bench to conduct suo motu proceedings. He also indicated that they would like to conclude the matter by today.
The judges hearing the case today are CJP Bandial, Justice Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Mandokhail, and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.
Those who dissociated themselves from the hearing include Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Minallah.
During today’s hearing, Barrister Ali Zafar, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi, Islamabad High Court Bar Council President Abid Zuberi, JUI-F lawyer Kamran Murtaza and President Arif Alvi’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja were present in court.
