ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Barrister Mohsin Shahnwaz Ranjha on Saturday has filed a petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging promulgation of eight ordinances issued by President Dr Arif Alvi.
The petition requested IHC to declare that the president’s power to promulgate ordinances can be used to bring about such legislation only when the government needs to respond to an emergency situation such as war, famine, epidemic or rebellion which has put the life, liberty or property of the people of Pakistan at stake.
It further pleaded that such powers can be used in case of an emergency after the prorogation of the last session of Parliament or when waiting for the commencement of the next session of either Parliament would cause irreparable loss of life, liberty or property to the people of Pakistan.
Ranjha’s counsel Umar Gilani requested IHC to declare the impugned ordinances illegal and unconstitutional being ultra vires Article 89 of the Constitution and having been promulgated in a mala fide manner.
The obvious reason why the federal government rushed with these ordinances is because it did not want to meaningfully engage with the opposition in the Parliament, stated Gilani.
This represents a completely unconstitutional and authoritarian approach to government is against the spirit of our federal democratic constitution and which cannot be defended.