ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has denied an application by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) requesting the issuance of an ‘Order of the Court’ signed by 12 judges. The order, which was posted on the Supreme Court’s website, was a subject of dispute, as PTI counsel Hamid Khan and Salman Akram Raja had sought a certified copy.
A court official advised the advocate on record (AOR) to apply for the certified copy rather than submitting the application. The official stated that the certified copy would be shared once available.
PTI’s secretary general, Raja, also submitted a letter to the Supreme Court, stating that Justice Salahuddin Panwar had recused himself from the bench handling the reserved seats review case on June 27. The letter mentioned that separate orders were issued by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, while seven judges passed a distinct order, accepting review petitions in the case.
At the start of the proceedings, Justices Ayesha Malik and Aqeel Abbasi had dismissed the review petitions. Raja’s letter requested the provision of certified copies of the judgments and the order signed by all 12 judges after Justice Panwar’s recusal.
The Supreme Court’s website published a brief order signed by only 10 judges of the constitutional bench. However, PTI had sought the order signed by 12 judges, who had heard the connected cases. The Registrar’s Office rejected the request for the certified copy.
Last week, the Constitutional Bench overturned the Supreme Court’s July 12, 2024 decision, which had reinstated PTI as a parliamentary party and granted it reserved seats in the legislature. This decision, supported by a majority of seven judges, effectively strengthened the ruling coalition’s position, granting it a two-thirds majority in parliament and likely impacting national politics.
PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram criticized the review decision during a press conference in Peshawar, calling it a blow to democracy. He claimed the decision had been predetermined and warned that PTI would not accept the outcome silently. Akram expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s losses, including the withdrawal of reserved seats, and vowed to raise the issue on every platform.
He also condemned the suspension of PTI’s elected representatives during the budget session in the Punjab Assembly and criticized the Speaker’s decision to send references against them. Akram contended that the Speaker’s actions were aimed at pleasing the Punjab Chief Minister and suppressing the opposition’s voice.
In addition, Akram alleged that six PTI workers recently released from jail had died from jaundice, demanding an impartial investigation into their deaths. He also discussed PTI’s efforts to form alliances after the last general elections, expressing disappointment that other political parties had not supported them.
The PTI spokesperson also remarked on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s lack of involvement in opposition protests and stated that the political landscape had shifted, rendering the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief irrelevant to PTI’s future efforts.
