Collision Course As Ruling Coalition Refuses To Accept 3-Member SC Bench.

ISLAMABAD -- The coalition partners: the Pakistan People's Party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and others: yesterday announced to boycott the Supreme Court proceedings after the apex court rejected the plea to form a full court bench on petitions related to the recently held Punjab Chief Minister's re-election including a review of its interpretation of Article 63-A.

Speaking at a joint news conference here with PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N's former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others, JUI-F Amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the decision to boycott.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Usma Qadri, Balochistan National Party-Mengal leader Agha Hassan Baloch, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Aslam Bhotani were also present at the crucial media interaction: the second in a day.

At the news conference, Maulana Fazlur Rehman: who also heads the Pakistan Democratic Movement: said the full court bench was proposed for the supremacy of justice. 'Unfortunately, the judiciary rejected our demand instead of accepting it. If the full court is rejected, we also reject this decision of the judiciary, we will not appear before this bench and we will boycott the case,' he contended.

The cleric said the coalition government wanted to remind that there was a long history in this political system of judicial decisions that had 'created instability and destroyed the continuation of government policies and also gave birth to the economic crisis.'

He said the government 'wants no institution to interfere in the work that impacts the administrative functioning. Otherwise, we will advise the Prime Minister and the parliament to legislate so that the public's trust in courts could be restored.

On the occasion, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is incumbent Foreign Minister, said this is a 'unanimous decision of our alliance since the court was repeatedly interfering in parliamentary affairs.'

He added: 'This case is about the parliament and when you are giving decisions about an institution, we think your entire institution should sit and decide. Had a full court heard us then the entire country would have accepted your decision.'

In his comments, PML-N Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a former PM, said it was a 'test' for the apex court since it was a requirement of justice that a judge or bench rescue themselves from a case in which fingers were raised on them.

'This is done in every court in...