Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday reacted to the Supreme Court’s verdict on the presidential reference and said that after today, the government of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz has practically come to an end as both of them have lost the majority.
Talking to a presser, Ex-Federal Minister for Information, Fawad Chaudhry, said that these people will also face lifetime disqualification adding that Shehbaz Sharif won by 173 votes, and 3 of those members have split from the PML-N since the decision, making their votes void.
He requested the President to dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections as no one has a majority anymore. “Today’s decision means that Pakistan is moving towards elections.” he added.
Supreme Court’s Verdict
The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Tuesday announced its verdict over the presidential reference on the interpretation of Article 63(A) stating that votes of dissident members of Parliament (MPs) will not be counted.
The decision was made with majority of 3-2 by the five member bench, which was headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprised of Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel.
The court said that Article 63(A) cannot be interpreted alone and other articles need to be kept in context. According to the article, a lawmaker can be disqualified on the grounds of defection if they vote or abstain from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which they belong.
Read more: SC Announces Verdict on Article 63(A).
