PMLN demands two SC judges recuse from party cases

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party meeting, which demanded that two judges of the Supreme Court should recuse themselves from cases against the PMLN as the party did not expect justice from them.

Senior PMLN leaders, representatives of the ruling coalition and the legal team of the federal government participated in the meeting.

PM Shehbaz told the meeting that President Dr Arif Alvi’s letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about the announcement of the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was an unconstitutional act. He called upon the president to refrain from such acts in future. He said the government respected the court, adding that the ECP was an independent institution and whatever decision it would make about elections in Punjab and KP would be implemented by the government. The premier also took the ruling coalition partners into confidence over writing a letter to President Alvi about his unconstitutional act. The premier said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s so-called ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ [court-arrest movement] had failed badly, and people had rejected the politics of chaos and anarchy. He said now people knew well about the U-turns of the PTI.

The government’s legal team briefed the meeting participants about the suo motu notice taken by the Supreme Court regarding the holding of elections in Punjab and KP.

Separately, PM Shehbaz Sharif and former president and chief of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting on Thursday and discussed the political situation in the country.

Though the official announcement issued after the meeting was restricted to only saying that the matters of mutual interest and the country’s overall political situation came under discussion, it is understood President Dr Arif Alvi’s act of announcing the date for elections in Punjab and KP was discussed by the two leaders.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif will chair a meeting of the National Apex Committee for Friday (today) convened to discuss the law and order situation in the country. The apex committee will discuss and evolve a strategy to deal with the increasing terror activities in various parts of the country.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will chair the huddle participated by the services chiefs including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Muneer, DG ISI, DIB and other intelligence gathering agencies heads. Well-placed sources told The News that the meeting will commence at the Prime Minister's House at 3 pm.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Finance and Revenue Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will also attend.

The sources pointed out that the meeting had conspicuous significance in the wake of the just concluded visit of Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif to the Afghan capital where DG ISI Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad Anjum was also in company.

Such a high-level visit from Islamabad took place after a long pause. It is understood that the activities of the TTP using the Afghan territory which is causing great harm to peace in Pakistan did come for detailed deliberations during the stay of the delegation in Kabul.

The sources reminded that Afghanistan’s Taliban administration had assured Pakistan soon after assuming power in the Afghan capital that they wouldn’t allow any element to use their against Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation briefed its Afghan interlocutors about the presence of hideouts of TTP in Afghanistan. Sources said that the defence minister would place a report about his Kabul trip and brief the huddle on what transpired in the course of discussions in Kabul. The domestic law and order situation would also come up for discussion in the meeting, the sources said. It would merit mention that the government had decided to hold an All-Parties Conference (APC) in the aftermath of the Peshawar Police Lines Mosque terrorist attack early this month. Incidentally, PTI chief Imran Khan castigated the idea of calling the APC and declined to participate. The APC was deferred and couldn’t be scheduled again. The sources indicated that Imran did not want to be seen siding with any action that could curb the activities of the TTP and for the reason, he opted to stay away from the idea of the APC.