SC issues summons to all Parliamentary parties, clarifies position on Hashmi’s claims

ISLAMABAD-

All parliamentary parties of Pakistan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) were issued notices by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

During the hearing of petitions filed against the sit-in in Islamabad by PAT and Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI), SC issued the notices to the parliamentary parties on on a petition by Zulfiqar Naqvi. The petition stated that all the parties should be summoned so that the political deadlock can be resolved.

Notices were issued to Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), , Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q), Awami National Party (ANP),Awami Muslim League (AML), All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Pakistan Muslim League – Zia (PML-Z), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), National Party (NP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMap), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as well as Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

During the hearing, Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk also clarified that he had only met with PTI Chief Imran Khan once when he was the acting chief election commissioner in order to discuss the biometric voting system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that he had met Khan in the presence of Khan’s lawyer Hamid Khan.

The CJ’s clarification comes a day after veteran politician and former PTI leader Javed Hashmi made a claim that the PTI chief had revealed the current CJ was in favour in PTI and had ensured to play a role in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s exit.

Also on Tuesday, PAT’s lawyer Ali Zafar informed the court that the party has refused to accept SC’s offer for role in current political crisis.

Zafar argued before the bench that the political matter does not fall within the purview of the court and that it should not intervene in political affairs.

On Monday, the apex court offered to play its role as a ‘final mediator’ to end the standoff between government and protesting parties.

The court had sought proposals from both sides.

The court hearing was adjourned till Wednesday.