LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information Azma Bokhari Saturday attacked the Supreme Court’s decision in the reserved seats case, saying it provided the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) the relief that it did not even ask for.
Talking to media persons in Lahore, the provincial information minister stated the apex court judgment introduced a “super” doctrine of necessity.
Pakistan had endured harm because of the love showered on the blue-eyed boy, she said, adding that nations always suffered loss for the doctrine of necessity.
“(In the plea,) the PTI did not even ask for the reserved seats (for itself), but they have been granted those for free. Why is there so much love for a party? The ladla is provided relief, even if he does not ask for it,” she retorted.
In a major legal victory for the PTI, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the party is eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.
The decision has not only paved the way for the PTI’s return to the parliament, which was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) December 2023 ruling.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the SC’s full bench announced the 8-5 majority verdict, nullifying the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order wherein it had upheld the ECP’s decision denying the reserved seats to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The order was endorsed by Justice Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.
In its verdict, the top court declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol does not in any manner affect the Constitutional or legal rights of a political party to participate in an election, whether general or by, and to field candidates and that the commission is under a Constitutional duty to apply all statutory provisions accordingly.
Commenting on the order, Bokhari said the verdict has opened the doors for floor-crossing and the one who was not a party in the case was provided relief, without hearing any affected party.
“The constitution does not grant unlimited power to anyone,” she said, adding that the judiciary and doctors had no room for error.