Parliament might be kept unfinished at any time: CJP Bandial

ISLAMABAD – On Thursday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said that all public matters could only be settled in parliament, but the current parliament was left unfilled by will.

The five-member panel, led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, heard Imran Khan’s petition against modifications to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) statute.

Makhdoom Ali Khan appeared in court on behalf of the federal government. He said that the PTI went to court after National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepted the resignations of the PTI MNAs, and that the issue was now being litigated in court rather than in parliament. “If the court annuls law on every petition requesting annulment, the court’s dignity would be diminished,” he warned.

The CJP stated that the facts were different in this case since the petition was brought by none other than the head of the country’s major political party. “Mr Khan should be asked why he is running for office if he is not willing to sit in parliament,” he said.
Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan asked whether the court could withdraw a person’s right to a plea if they boycotted the assembly. “NAB modifications were implemented just for the advantage of a few persons,” he observed.

Mr Makhdoom stated that Mr Khan’s and PTI MNAs’ views on NAB were on record since the PTI-led government altered the NAB statute via an ordinance. The CJP said that although the ordinance was transitory, the new revisions seemed to be permanent. “Having no majority in the assembly is also a reason for proposing an ordinance,” he said, adding that the court is looking for a reaction to the PTI’s absence from the house when the modifications were being deliberated.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah wanted to know how the ordinance differed from the recent revisions. Mr Makhdoom said that the ordinance introduced by the PTI had just been changed, and that the lower house could not discuss the legislation owing to the PTI’s absence. “However, the measure was considered in the Senate with PTI members present,” he noted.

The CJP said that the court’s decision was not meant to derail the law. “The court did not take suo-moto notice of the revisions, but the NAB took the matter to court,” he said.

The hearing was later postponed until Friday by the court.