Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has expressed his displeasure with the plea filed by a PML-N lawyer seeking an adjournment of the presidential reference proceedings.
On Monday, a five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Ata Bandial and comprised of Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Mazhar Alam, Muneeb Akhar, and Jamal Khan Mandokhel, heard the presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63.
At the start of the hearing, additional attorney general and PML-N lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan filed a plea requesting that the case be adjourned. The Chief Justice of Pakistan was irritated by the plea, remarking that the request for adjournment meant that they wanted to delay the case. He warned them not to do anything that would give the wrong impression. He stated that the court was willing to hear the case until late at night.
According to Justice Mandokhel, courts are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
CJP Bandial noted that Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf and lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan were both representing the same party. He lamented the absence of the AGP, claiming that Mr. Ashtar Ausaf had offered to present arguments in the case and that the court had also ordered Mr. Makhdoom to do so today.
Amir Rehman, Additional Attorney General, told the court that the AGP was unable to travel to Islamabad due to a commitment in Lahore. However, he stated that Mr Ausaf had left Lahore for Islamabad.
In objecting to Mr Ausaf’s absence, PTI lawyer Babar Awan stated that the court had been told for the past two weeks that the AGP was either coming or going somewhere.
