Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif calls President Arif Alvi 'PTI worker' for returning Supreme Court bill

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lambasted President Dr Arif Alvi for returning the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, unsigned, and referred to him as a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reported Geo News.

Hours after the president sent the Supreme Court Bill back to the legislature, the prime minister issued a scathing tweet, writing, “President Alvi returning the Supreme Court Bill duly passed by Parliament is most unfortunate.”

The law aims to limit the chief justice’s authority, including the suo motu and the formation of benches. The PTI has vehemently denounced the effort to adopt the legislation and called it an “attack on the judiciary.”

The prime minister said the president has belittled his office through his actions as he is “beholden to Imran Niazi more than the Constitution and demands of his Office.”

In the tweet, Shehbaz said the president has belittled his office through his actions as he follows the PTI chief’s orders rather than fulfilling his constitutional duties, reported Geo News.

“Through his conduct, he has belittled the august Office by acting as a worker of the PTI, one who is beholden to Imran Niazi more than the Constitution & demands of his Office,” he added.

The bill was approved by both houses of the parliament last month and sent to the president for assent amid a deepening political and constitutional crisis in the country over elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

After Alvi’s refusal to assent to the legislation, the government is likely to get through this bill from a joint session of the parliament.

The president returned the bill for reconsideration to the parliament as per the provisions of the Article 75 of the Constitution, stating that the bill prima-facie travels beyond the competence of the parliament and can be assailed as colourable legislation.

In his letter to PM Shehbaz Sharif, President Alvi 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), reported Geo News.

Since the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s administration was established in April of last year, the president has refused to give the oath of office to a number of federal cabinet members, including Prime Minister Shehbaz.

On a number of important issues, like as the choice of the chief of army staff, Alvi has consulted PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who was dismissed as prime minister in April of last year.

With inputs from agencies

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