NA demands misconduct reference against CJ.

ISLAMABAD -- Schism between lawmakers and the superior judiciary appeared to grow deeper as parliament unanimously adopted a motion on Monday calling for filing a reference of 'misconduct' against Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial.

The motion, moved by Dr Shazia Sobia of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), demands the formation of a special committee to file the reference against the chief justice in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for his 'misconduct' and 'deviation' from his oath.

Speaking on the motion, several lawmakers, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, called for a parliamentary probe into the judiciary's undue support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

"In the 75-year history of the country's judiciary, there were incidents which had a profound impact on the country, but recently a group in the judiciary has started supporting a political group," Asif told the house.

'That political support could be seen from the current decisions of the judiciary,' he said, adding: 'time has come for parliament to send a reference of misconduct to the Supreme Judicial Council, under the authority and law given to it by the Constitution.'

He condemned the attacks on military installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, a Rangers post in Karachi, the Army's General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and the PAF Base at Mianwali.

Supporting the motion, Asif said that the reference against the chief justice should be sent to the SJC under Article 209 of the Constitution. He also demanded that another committee should be formed to examine the pending cases in the judiciary.

Taking the floor, Foreign Minister Bilawal ruled out further negotiations with the PTI unless the party tendered apology for torching the Jinnah House - the residence of the corps commander - in Lahore.

He urged the institutions to work within their constitutional ambits so that the government could concentrate on resolving the issues of the poor people. 'The coalition is committed to protecting parliament and the Constitution,' he added.

Later in the day, Bilawal also spoke in the joint sitting of parliament, in which he condemned the deplorable incidents of May 9, including attacks on the GHQ and the Jinnah House and other public properties.

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