Islamabad/Lahore, Jul 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday began consultations with his coalition partners, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, over the Supreme Court’s verdict on reserved seats that would make jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party the largest in Parliament.
Although several leaders from the ruling coalition were apprehensive of the Supreme Court’s judgment, it was Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of PML-N party supremo Nawaz Sharif's daughter, who launched a salvo against the Supreme Court verdict saying, “I would like to ask the SC judges to let the country function.”
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party-led government on July 15 has already filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its decision to allocate reserved seats to Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Earlier, a 13-member full bench of the apex court in a key 8-5 judgment on July 12 ruled that the PTI was eligible for the seats reserved for women and minorities in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.
If implemented in letter and spirit, the PTI will become the largest party in the National Assembly as its seats will soar from 86 to 109, after it gains 23 seats reserved for women and minorities.
Quoting sources, Geo News said on Friday that the PML-N has decided to take its main ally, PPP, into confidence. “The leadership of both the political parties are meeting today. The meeting will also be attended by President Asif Ali Zardari.”
At least two dozen leaders, including cabinet ministers, are attending the consultation here in the national capital, the Geo News said and listed most of their names and designations.
The PML-N review petition has raised technical questions and also if the seats could be left vacant or have to be distributed amongst the political parties contesting for the said seats, Geo News added.
Khan, 71, faces over 200 cases, has been convicted in a few of them, and is currently lodged at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
He has already claimed the February 8 general elections to have witnessed the ‘Mother of All Rigging’ and called his rivals the PML-N and the PPP as “mandate thieves.”
In the election, both PML-N and PPP individually won fewer seats than 92 won by independent candidates backed by Khan’s PTI. The two parties entered into a post-poll alliance under which the PML-N got the prime minister’s post and the chief ministership of Punjab province while the PPP got the presidential post and the chief ministership in Sindh province.
If the reserved seats are now allotted to the PTI, it may upset the PML-N-PPP apple cart.
Meanwhile, in Lahore, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the apex court judges should let the country progress. “I would like to ask the SC judges to let the country function,” Maryam said addressing an event, Geo News said.
She alleged the apex court judges were rewriting the Constitution to bring one person back to mainstream politics, in an obvious reference to PTI chief, Khan.
“Who are those (people) who do not like the country making progress and re-write the Constitution,” she said.
“The SC decision has not only paved the way for the PTI's return to Parliament, which was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the Election Commission of Pakistan's December 2023 ruling but has also increased the pressure on the coalition alliance as the judgement will change the composition of the National Assembly,” Geo News reported.
“We will not let this be a cakewalk for you. This government will complete its five-year’ tenure. If anyone tries to create political instability, they will be dealt with iron hands,” the PML-N leader warned.
Geo News further quoted her as saying: “It was said that verdicts were announced according to their conscience. The decisions should be according to the Constitution, not according to a person's conscience.”