Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has remarked that the court had been scandalized enough and that it should be considered whether Niaz Ullah Niazi’s case should be sent to the Pakistan Bar for disciplinary action.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 4th, 2024) The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the decisions of the Lahore High Court and the Election Commission regarding formation of the election tribunal.
A five-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa heard the Election Commission’s appeal against the Lahore High Court’s decision on formation of election tribunals.
During the hearing, the Election Commission’s lawyer, Sikandar Bashir, stated that Niaz Ullah Niazi, whose lawyer he is, had requested to become a party in the case.
The court had accepted the request.
The Chief Justice asked Salman Akram if he had objected to him. Salman Akram replied that he had not objected in his personal capacity.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan remarked that the court had been scandalized enough and that it should be considered whether Niaz Ullah Niazi’s case should be sent to the Pakistan Bar for disciplinary action.
He remarked that no objections were raised when he led the two-member bench during the previous hearing.
Now, the bench is not composed of just one person but is formed by the whole committee.
Justice Jamal Mandokhail said that the committee had included them in the bench, questioning if they were sitting there to be insulted. He remarked that they joined the bench later, and it seemed the objection was against him. Niaz Ullah Niazi responded that they had not raised objections against him.
Niaz Ullah Niazi stated that they were not a party in the first hearing and that even the person in jail had objections. He was objecting on behalf of his client.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan responded that the said person had appeared via video link from jail and had not objected to the bench.
The Chief Justice remarked that they wanted to make headlines by raising objections against the bench and warned that they would suspend the license of the lawyer scandalizing the Supreme Court.
He emphasized that one could not say whatever they wanted, as this seemed to be an attempt to disrupt the case.
Later, the court rejected Niaz Ullah Niazi’s objection to the bench and reserved its decision on the case. Shortly after, the court announced the suspension of the Lahore High Court’s decision on formation of the election tribunal. The court ordered that the Election Commission and its members should consult meaningfully with the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court immediately after the Chief Justice’s oath.
The court’s decision further held that the case would remain pending, highlighting that there was no communication between the Election Commission and the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court.
The Supreme Court left the matter to be resolved through consultation between the Chief Justice of the High Court and the Election Commission.
