Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N’s supremo Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has rejected the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict nullifying the ECP’s decision to postpone Punjab elections and directed his party to submit a reference against the three-member Supreme Court bench. Addressing a press conference via video link, the former Premier noted that the verdict was enough to file a reference against the Supreme Court’s three-member bench, which comprised Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar. While quoting his lifetime disqualification by the same bench, Nawaz demanded that a reference should be filed against them in the Supreme Judicial Council for a ‘partisan judgment to facilitate one person. Nawaz questioned no constitution of the full court and observed that those who violated the constitution were allowed to amend the constitution as a reward.
The reaction of the former three times Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League (N) Supremo to yesterday’s decision of the apex court regarding the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is seemingly to be out of revenge and hostility toward the bench that deposed him from the top position is although natural but an unwise act and can push the country into a new disaster in the future. After the announcement of the court’s verdict, Nawaz held a news conference on the video link and busteagainstnt the top Judiciary, while other government leaders also issued a controversial statement against the top judiciary which clearly predicts an impending government-judiciary tussle that would not have far-reaching effects for the judiciary but can worsen the ongoing political turmoil and derailed the political system in the country.
Historically, the state of Pakistan has meted out a series of catastrophes and crises one after another over the past months, while the people of Pakistan faced disastrous consequences of rising inflation, persistent economic meltdown, and global energy crisis and suffered utmost from heightened domestic political unrest in the country. Unfortunately, unhealthy and rigid politics have pushed the country into an unending quandary while leaders are determined to comprehend their agendusingof confrontation and clash instead of political wisdom and the legacy of cooperation and alliance. Currently, Pakistan is passing through the most crucial phase of its history while the persistent political instability remained at the heart of all other issues in making the country one of the most unsuccessful nations in the world despite owning the title of seventh nuclear power of the universe. The current upheaval is only due to the repeated wrong policies and irrational policies of our political and military leaders that always protected their personal, party, and institutional interests instead of the promotion of national unity, institutional development, and economic growth.
Although our judicial system has multiple flaws and weaknesses while no judge enjoys exception from guilt and felonies yet the current decision of the Apex Court has revalidated the constitution amid prevailing political chaos, and economic and security issues in the country. The PML-N must not penalize the entire nation for its failed economic policies or legal and political lapses, while no miracle is likely to happen in the next five months if polls schedule in October this year. The coalition government must use collective wisdom to tackle the situation by adopting a political course to achieve its agenda instead of reigniting the newest legal, political, or constitutional crisis because the pain and flames of revenge produce no things except destruction, ruination, and failure.
The current political landscape and performance of the past and present governments utterly disappointed the masses and no party is likely to gain a one-third majority, whereas a hung parliament is expected as the result of the next election. Pakistani leaders must consider and adopt the divine values and teaching of our true religion which tells us patience, tolerance, and mutual cooperation that not only offer remedies to all failures but also pave way for success. Hopefully, the entire spectrum of Pakistani political leadership would pursue the course of a peaceful election instead of a clash and confrontation in the greater interest of the nation.
