Elections conundrum: Nawaz says 3-member SC bench hearing case 'unacceptable'.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Friday cast doubt on the verdict - which is yet to to come - by the three-member Supreme Court bench hearing the petition against the postponement of polls in Punjab.

A diminished Supreme Court bench - comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar - is currently hearing the PTI's petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to postpone elections to the Punjab Assembly till Oct 8.

The three-member bench was constituted after the original five-member bench was disbanded following the recusals of Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail.

Earlier today, the three-member bench had rejected Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan's request for the formation of a full court to hear the PTI's petition.

In a press talk from London, Nawaz was asked whether the three-member bench's decision would be acceptable. 'It is a straightforward thing. When the bench itself is not acceptable, then how can its decision be acceptable?' the ex-premier asked.

'What is the wisdom behind it? [...] the whole nation needs to understand this.'

Nawaz noted that a bill aimed at curtailing the chief justice's suo motu powers had also been passed by parliament and was now with the president. He said that the attorney general and a 'majority of judges' in the country had also expressed their opinions in this regard.

'When there is a united voice, then why this stubbornness that only these three judges will be on the bench? This is a national issue, not a minor one.'

He said there were many capable judges in the top court 'yet in every case these three come to the fore and make decisions regarding Pakistan's future'.

Nawaz said that a 'similar bench' was constituted in 2017 that had taken the country to a point where its future 'had turned black'.

The PML-N supremo called on the people to 'open your eyes'. He went on to say that the country was thriving in 2017, talking about his government's achievements.

'After 2017, we have to plead for our friends to give us $1 billion [...] and this is because of the decisions of our benches,' he said, again calling on the nation to 'open your eyes'.

'Once again, Pakistan has been brought to the edge of destruction due to the decisions of these benches,' he said, alleging that 'those same three judges' were involved in disqualifying him while the rest, including ex-chief justices Saqib Nisar...