Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa wondered on Monday why Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) “committed suicide” when it decided to merge with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) following the February 8 elections.
The CJP’s remarks came during a hearing of the petition filed by the SIC, which is an ally of the PTI, against the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) verdict denying reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.
A full court 13-member bench, headed by CJP Isa, also comprises Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
“Why did the independent candidates leave PTI when it is a political party? Why did you commit suicide by joining another party which goes against your arguments?” asked the chief justice.
The CJP said that had the independent candidates stayed with the PTI, there would have been no problem today.
Following the today’s proceeding, the Supreme Court said PTI leader Kanwal Shuzab’s counsel Salman Akram Raja and SIC counsel Faisal Siddiqui have completed their arguments in the case.
CJP Isa directed the counsels of other respondents to keep their arguments concise as the court will not allow more time as the counsels for PPP, ECP and the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) will present their arguments in the next hearing.
