Constitutional crisis in Pakistan, so more political crisis
The Pakistan government introduces a bill in the National Assembly as PM Shehbaz Sharif blames the top court for creating a ‘political crisis.’
A new constitutional problem has emerged in Pakistan, which for months has been ruined by another political problem that shows no signs of abating.
On Tuesday, the country introduced a bill in the National Assembly, the down house of parliament, aiming to restrict the control of the Supreme Court, which, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged, was creating “political instability” in the nation.
The legislation, which reached the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, came after the top court abode a “suo motu” notice of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponing local elections in Punjab, the nation’s most populated region.
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A suo motu is when a court accepts cognisance of a case that it believes is in the public interest and starts proceedings on it.
What has the Pakistan government done?
The National Assembly on Tuesday gave a resolution blaming the Supreme Court of “judicial activism” and urging its “non-interference” in cases related to the ECP.
The draft bill introduced in parliament aims to amend laws following the conduct of the top court and recommends setting up a three-member board led by the chief justice to take up suo motu matters.
