Defecting lawmakers’ vote won’t be counted: Pakistan top court
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday gave its opinion on presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution and stated that the vote of defected lawmakers would not be counted in parliament.
In the majority verdict of 3-2, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar agreed that defected members’ votes should not be counted, while Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel disagreed with the verdict.
Concerning the issue of lifetime disqualification of the dissident members, the court refused issuing a verdict and said that since it was a constitutional issue under Article 63-A, the Parliament should look into this.
According to the decision, dissident lawmakers were not allowed to vote against party line in four instances including the election of prime minister and chief minister; a vote of confidence or no-confidence; a Constitution amendment bill; and a money bill outlined under Article 63-A.
PTI’S Advocate Babar Awan said that the verdict meant the end for the Punjab government as well. “What is the next constitutional option?” he asked, Dawn newspaper reported.
PTI Secretary-general Asad Umar congratulated the nation and said the legitimacy of the Punjab government had ended.
“The federal government should resign immediately. There are no grounds for a government formed through foreign interference and turncoats to continue for another day,” Umar demanded.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, addressing a press conference in Lahore, said the verdict had made the governments of Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Sharif lose their majority.
“They should resign today from their positions and immediately leave them. I request the president to dissolve the [National]
Assembly and provincial assembly and go towards new elections,” Chaudhry said.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi also welcomed the verdict and said it had closed the door on horsetrading. “The imported federal government, which came to power through an external conspiracy with the help of a curse like floorcrossing, should announce elections immediately,” he demanded. — agencies