The Sindh Bar Council has also filed a petition challenging the deputy speaker of the National Assembly’s dismissal of a no-confidence motion.
The SBC also became a petitioner in the high-profile case in which the judiciary will attempt to rescue the country from the constitutional crisis precipitated by the NA deputy speaker’s ruling and then-President Arif Alvi’s dissolution of the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The SBC pleaded with the court to declare the deputy speaker’s ruling null and void and to reschedule the no-confidence vote.
Additionally, it asked the court to vacate the presidential order dissolving the National Assembly.
The deputy speaker was obligated to hold a vote on the no-confidence motion, the petition stated, adding that the no-confidence motion could not be dismissed without first consulting National Assembly members.
The petition concluded that the NA deputy speaker and the president took unconstitutional action on the advice of the prime minister.
Additionally, the Supreme Court will hold a hearing on its suo motu notice of the National Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling dismissing the joint opposition’s no-confidence motion.
The case will be heard today (Tuesday) at 12 noon by a five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Mian Khel, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel.
Naeem Bukhari, the lawyer for NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, and Raza Rabbani, the lawyer for the Pakistan People’s Party, will present their arguments.
The Punjab advocate general would respond to the suspension of voting in the Punjab Assembly’s election of the chief minister.
The Supreme Court has requested that attorneys for all parties submit written responses and keep their arguments brief.
The CJP is likely to issue an order following today’s hearing, as he desired to issue a “reasonable order” yesterday but the court refrained from doing so due to the incomplete nature of the arguments.
During Monday’s hearing, Justice Muneeb stated that “he believes that under the rules, the deputy speaker has the authority to run the house only in the absence of the NA speaker, but he lacks the authority to make such a ruling.”
