Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expanded on the discussion of the Supreme Court’s decision over the highly contested reserved seats issue by stating that the “judiciary is only responsible for the interpretation of law, not legislation.”
The defense minister said to Geo News in response to the ruling of the supreme court in the case of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over reserved seats, “Court decisions should not be political.” He went on to say that the decisions had to be made in accordance with the law and the Constitution.
Asif once again attacked the order of the supreme court on July 12, which had ruled that the beleaguered former ruling party was entitled to seats in the legislatures reserved for women and minorities.
The top court decided that PTI was and is a political party that gained general seats in the national and provincial assembly in the February 8 elections, and as such, is entitled to reserved seats. This decision represents a significant legal triumph for the Imran Khan-founded party and a blow for the ruling class.
By a vote of 8 to 5, the court overturned the March 25 ruling of the Peshawar High Court and ruled that the March 1 order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was unconstitutional, without legal authority, and had no legal significance.
The politician declared that “we cannot even count the number of the judiciary’s political verdicts” and that judges shouldn’t mix “political remarks” when considering various issues in their courts.
His statement that the “verdict can result in a constitutional crisis” was directed towards the reserved seats issue. Asif emphasized, not only did politicians, the court, the media, and the bureaucracy have roles to play in ensuring the stability of the nation?
Given that “its conflicting decisions are being discussed everywhere now,” Asif urged the judiciary to “restore its image.”
