By Irum Saleem
As the Sharifs having the backing of the powerful circles are attacking the Supreme Court with full might — this confrontation between the Parliament and SC may lead to a terrible disaster.
This is turning out to be very ugly. Had the powers that be not with the Sharifs — Nawaz and Shehbaz — they would shave have simply following the SC decisions.
Dawn too has warned all the players in the game. “This ugly confrontation between the pillars of state shows no signs of easing. The nation witnessed as much on Tuesday, when the National Assembly challenged the Supreme Court for summoning the record of parliamentary proceedings of a law limiting the chief justice’s powers. The lawmakers’ concerns were not out of place.”
For while legal interpretations may wary, Articles 66 and 69 of the Constitution, invoked by the Public Accounts Committee chair in the National Assembly, underscore parliamentary independence in matters taken up by the House. Undue interference in parliament’s affairs by the court then will be seen as breaching the constitutional boundaries — even if in this case the SC merely summoned the record.
It says a series of events, linked to electoral issues, have led to the current impasse — with both sides erring in their decision to not budge an inch from their respective positions. This was evident in the formation of benches, with the SC refusing to satisfy the government’s demand for a full court to examine the ECP’s postponement of polls to the Punjab Assembly, and its pre-emptive action against the law mentioned above.
“It was equally apparent in the government’s open defiance of the SC order to hold polls within 90 days — a constitutional requirement — to the Punjab and KP assemblies. No matter how one sees the situation — as one in which parliament has rightly decided to defend its sovereignty or one where the judicial writ is being thwarted by those who are avoiding the people’ mandate — the end result is bound to be disastrous if we continue on this trajectory. The language of moderation is key to effective diplomacy in the international arena. It may work within the country too and help institutions see the larger picture and understand how they can progress on sticky issues, without adopting a combative stance in deeds or words,”Dawn says.
For instance, in his hard-hitting speech in the Assembly on Tuesday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made a strong point about the accountability of the court itself as he correctly referred to inglorious periods in the institution’s history. But to say that if “they want a war, then there will be war” sends an alarming message.
“As does the PAC chair’s threat to issue arrest warrants for the SC’s principal accounting officer if the official refused to brief the Assembly. With both the legislative and judicial branches having overstepped the bounds in this tussle, a paralysis has set in and is affecting the functioning of the state.
The country’s economic prospects are weak and social institutions are on the point of disintegration. The only way out is fresh polls: the talks between PDM and the PTI have shown some progress on this count and hold the key to the problem.”
Its seem to be last wake up call for the mighty power players before it’s gets too late. PAK DESTINY
