Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday in order to address the current political and constitutional crisis in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister will participate via video link from Lahore at the 2 o’clock meeting. Federal Minister of Law Nazir Tarar, PM’s aides Attaullah Tarar and Malik Ahmed Khan, and other significant figures are anticipated to attend.
The National Security Committee (NSC), the highest forum for discussing matters of national importance, will review and approve the decisions made during a meeting of the cabinet on Friday that will be presided over by the prime minister.
The cabinet will also consider getting the judicial reform bill approved by the joint session of parliament and will review legal advice and strategy related to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Punjab elections.
This comes after President Dr. Arif Alvi sent back to Parliament for further consideration the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, which seeks to limit the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s authority to take suo motu notice and appoint benches on his own.
Tensions between the coalition government and the judiciary are present as the cabinet meetings are being held.
The coalition government is contesting the Supreme Court’s recent order directing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
The National Assembly had previously adopted a resolution rejecting the Supreme Court’s ruling and stating that parliament did not agree with it.
The lawmakers also urged the top court to form a full court to review the “rewriting” of the Constitution under Article 63-A.
Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has charged that the administration is attempting to delay elections under the guise of national security.
Ministers for the Interior Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Finance Ishaq Dar, Defense Khawaja Asif, and Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb all took part in the NSC meeting on Friday.
The chief ministers of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) were joined by the commanders of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy, as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Both domestic and foreign observers will be closely monitoring the government’s response to the Supreme Court’s ruling and the ongoing political and constitutional crisis.
