SC hears pleas against bill ‘clipping’ CJP’s powers today

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The order was later recalled by a sixmember larger bench. Later in a judicial note, Justice Faez Isa said that the bench did not “constitute a constitutional court”. The larger bench will take up three identical petitions filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution by Advocate Muhammad Shafay Munir, Raja Amer Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain and others.

Article 184(3) of the Constitution sets out the SC’s original jurisdiction, and enables it to assume jurisdiction in matters involving a question of “public importance” with reference to the “enforcement of any of the fundamental rights” of Pakistan’s citizens.

The petition filed by Advocate Munir insisted that the plea had been filed to safeguard and secure the Constitution and independence of the judiciary.

He contended that the petitioner believed in the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, and independence of the judiciary and had always strived and struggled to protect the Constitution, independence of the judiciary and fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

The respondents named in the petition included the federal government through the secretaries of law, Senate and National Assembly.

PoliticiaNs reactl: After the pleas were fixed for hearing, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted: “Now that the chief justice of Pakistan has formed a bench comprising a majority of judges of the Supreme Court, people who considered a larger bench a solution to problems will hopefully be satisfied.”

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interior and PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar said, “Fixing a law that has not been enforced yet for hearing before a like-minded bench at a lightning speed is an insult to parliament.”

Passage of the bill: The bill was approved by the federal cabinet on March 28 and the National Assembly passed it a day later after a few amendments suggested by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

On March 30, it was passed by the

Pakistan committed to timely completion of cPec: Sanjrani

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani has said that Pakistan is committed to timely completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He was talking to a three-member delegation of Chinese Embassy in Pakistan headed by China’s Charge d’Affaires Pang Chunxue, who called on him here in Islamabad on Wednesday. The Chairman said China’s investment in Pakistan under CPEC has provided new employment opportunities to the youth. He said with the completion of CPEC, the entire region will develop and the elements opposed to the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor will never succeed in their nefarious purposes. Sadiq Sanjrani said the government is taking all measures to protect Chinese citizens. He also appreciated China’s key role in establishing good relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

crisis-hit Pia employees deprived of salaries

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The employees were deprived of salaries for the month of March due to the financial crisis the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is faced with. According to the PIA sources, the employees could not be paid salaries on time as the airlines ran short of funds after payment to the international institutions. Pilots, engineers and Class IV employees were also not paid. “The PIA is faced with a financial crisis, but we are paying the salaries,” the PIA spokesperson said. “Grade 1 to 4 employees have been paid salaries. The rest of the PIA employees will also be paid salaries before Eidul Fitr,” he added.

the results are in: Paper continues to dominate payments landscape

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The first half of 2023 witnessed a significant growth in both the number of transactions and the value of payments made through POS, with a remarkable 59% increase in transactions from 59.5 million in first half of fiscal year 21-22 to 94.8 million in the same corresponding months in fiscal year 22-23 and a substantial 57% increase in payment value from 313.1 billion in half of fiscal year 21-22 to 493.2 billion in first half of fiscal year 22-23. Specifically, in December 2022, a total e-commerce merchants registered stood at 11,438,

Senate and then referred to the president for his approval. The president, however, returned it, with the objection that it was a “colourable legislation”. In his detailed reply, which he also posted on Twitter, the president said that he thought it fit and proper to return the bill, in accordance with the Constitution, with “the request for reconsideration in order to meet the scrutiny about its validity (if assailed in the court of law)”.

He underlined that Article 191 of the Constitution empowered the SC “to make rules regulating the practice and procedure of the Court”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, had termed the president’s move to be “most unfortunate”. “Through his conduct, he has belittled the august affice by acting as a worker of the PTI, one who is beholden to Imran Niazi more than the Constitution and demands of his office,” he said.

On Monday, the bill was passed by the parliament’s joint session with a few amendments. As per the Constitution, the bill will be sent to the president once again for his assent, and if he does not sign it within ten days, assent will be deemed to have been granted.

According to the fresh legislation, a three-member bench consisting of the CJP and the two senior-most judges of the apex court will decide whether or not to take up a matter suo motu.

Previously, this was solely the prerogative of the CJP.

The law also states that every cause, matter, or appeal before the apex court would be heard and disposed of by a bench, constituted by a committee made up of the chief justice and the two senior-most judges.

The legislation also includes the right to file an appeal within 30 days of the judgement in a suo motu case and that any case involving constitutional interpretation will not have a bench of fewer than five judges.

The bill would allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and other parliamentarians disqualified by the Supreme Court under suo motu powers (such as Jahangir Tareen) to appeal their disqualification within 30 days of the law’s enactment.