Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor has supported the demand of lawyers’ bodies that the Supreme Court of Pakistan judges should not block the legislation process and leave the political as well as legislature matters decide in the parliament.
The PDP leader expressing his solidarity with the lawyers on their ‘black day’ Tuesday, said the lawyers are correct to wage a movement to protect the democratic and constitutional rights of the people if the apex courts fail to recall its interim orders.
Previous day the legal fraternity of the whole country had expressed serious concern over the Supreme Court’s role in the prevailing serious political crisis, and urged it to recall the interim orders suspending the proposed Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023.
Altaf Shakoor said that for the last two decades the legal fraternity is continuously demanding for amendment in SC Rules, 1980, with respect to the exercise of powers by the Chief Justice of Pakistan on frequently taking Suo Motu notices under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, which also includes discretionary powers with regard to constitution of benches and fixation of cases in urgent matters.
The legal fraternity had itself appealed to parliament to frame the law as provided under Article 191 of the Constitution in this regard after the SC had failed to do so itself.
He supported the notion of the lawyers that the proposed ‘Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act, 2023’ is passed by parliament on the unanimous and consistent demand of the legal fraternity which will serve the interest of the public at large and shall advance the principle of independence of judiciary.
He said that it is matter of seriousness for the whole nation when the lawyers in their joint declaration say that ‘the six judges in the bench’ are those whose appointments were always questioned by the legal fraternity and so also by the members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan as the appointments were made by violating the principle of seniority and without laying down any criteria by amending the rules of the JCP, as being demanded for the last several years, adding that such orders of suspending the “act” would never be accepted by the legal fraternity.
The PDP leader welcomed the government’s request for the withdrawal of the curative review against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
He supported the demand that the government and the ruling political parties should hold an All Parties Conference within parliament or outside and resolve the political and constitutional issues and hold free, fair, and transparent elections of the national and provincial assemblies at one time on the date to be agreed by all the political parties as per the mandate of the Constitution.
He said that it is correct that the political issues and crises are always to be resolved by the political parties through mutual deliberations and not through court of law.
He appealed to the honorable apex judges to show restraint from accelerating the political crisis by allowing time to the political parties to resolve the political issues and by recalling the interim orders suspending the proposed ‘Act’.
