Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said the parliament holds supreme legislative power and is above the verdicts of Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference, he said only the assembly elected by the people has the right to make laws.
Responding to a question, Tarar said “Law is very clear that an independent candidate has to join a political party within three days.”
Tarar maintained that the process of joining a party of an independent candidate was irreversible while reiterating that the legislation of the parliament was supreme than the decisions of the Supreme Court.
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What was the verdict of Supreme Court?
Earlier in the day, Supreme Court declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) eligible for seats reserved for women and minorities, which is a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.
The 70-page detailed judgment released today was authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who is set to succeed incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa as the top judge in October.
The minister said he was also “pained” by the “strict words” used for the two dissenting judges in the detailed note.
“All judges in the court are equal and seniority does not weigh on decisions … difference is the beauty of debate and logic whenever we look at something in-depth and different opinions emerge and something better is found from them,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that despite a clear ruling from the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has not issued a notification confirming the PTI’s reserved seats.
