• Accuses Maryam of ‘laying a trap’ for PM Shehbaz
• PTI seeks minutes of April 5 cabinet meeting
• Qaiser says willing to consider amendment to condone delay in polls beyond 90 days

LAHORE: PTI has termed “worthless” the National Ass­embly’s resolution, rejec­ting the Supreme Court’s decision on elections in Punjab, saying that any such move required a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.

The party has also set in motion a plan to disqualify ministers who signed the declaration to defy the SC verdict in the April 5 cabinet huddle and sought the minutes of that meeting.

Addressing a news conference on Thursday, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the National Assembly has 372 members, but only 42 signed the resolution. He said the “ridiculous resolution” was worthless as a two-thirds majority was needed in lower and upper houses to turn down a Supreme Court judgement.

The statement comes on the heels of an offer of sorts, made by former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, where he expre­ssed his party’s willingness to consider a constitutional amendment for adjustments to the election schedule bey­ond the 90-day requirement.

On Thursday, Mr Chau­dhry said federal ministers, who passed a similar proclamation in the federal cabinet, had violated Articles 204, 190 and 2A of the Constitution.

However, he added, most federal cabinet members, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Sherry Rehman had retracted their assent to the official statement.

“The PDM wants to tell the nation that it can continue its rule by force even after the ruling of the Supreme Court,” he said, as he cautioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Maryam Nawaz Sharif was “laying a trap his for disqualification as Asif Ali Zardari had trapped former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani”.

“After the disqualification of Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz will reclaim the party,” he commented and suggested PM Sharif be cognisant of the situation.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision, the PTI leader said the Constitution mandated elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies within 90 days and the caretaker governments in Punjab and KP would also cease to exist on April 22 and April 28, respectively.

He also expressed his disagreement over the apex court’s decision to take elections to May 14 — beyond the limit of 90 days.

Mr Chaudhry urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult the Supreme Court for the appointment of new caretaker governments after 90 days.

“The caretaker ministers would be liable to Article 6 proceedings, if they signed any cheque, or issued administrative order or attended the office after 90 days tenure,” he said.

PTI writes to cabinet secretary

A day after the PTI said it’d seek disqualification of cabinet members revolting against the SC verdict, the party wrote a letter to the Cabinet Division secretary demanding the list of ministers who signed the proclamation to reject the order in the April 5 cabinet meeting.

After getting the minutes, the party will contact the ECP to disqualify the cabinet members, who attended the meeting, under Article 63-A as cabinet members allegedly violated Article 2A of the Constitution which is about the sovereignty of the state.

The letter, written by PTI’s Central Information Secretary Farrukh Habib, stated that the meeting, chaired by PM Shehbaz, rejected the decision of the Supreme Court given by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandia.

Seeking the minutes of the meeting, the letter cited Article 19-A of the Constitution which grants every citizen a right to access information in matters of public importance.

Asad Qaiser’s offer

Speaking to Adil Shahzeb of DawnNews, Mr Qaiser had emphasised that it was the responsibility of the government to officially make a move for talks and the prime minister must announce that they want to hold talks.

“We want the government to sit together [for talks on elections] and we are also ready for a constitutional amendment, if for one time, the [polls] can be extended beyond 90 days. What more flexibility can we offer?” he said.

“Then we will sit and settle the matters together — this is the need of the hour that political leaders talk things out,” he said, during an interview on Wednesday.

He cautioned the government that its decision to flout Supreme Court’s orders on the Punjab poll date would be unconstitutional and indicative of a government that is only focused on its own interests, further eroding its popularity and paving the way for its “political demise”.

The PTI leader emphasised the importance of adhering to law with regard to the election date. He argued that even a small fluctuation in the poll date must be done in accordance with law to ensure that the election is conducted in a manner that is fair and just, and free from any objections.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2023