Polls fiasco: CJP Bandial urges govt, PTI to re-engage in talks.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Monday asked the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to resume talks again.

The CJP passed the remark while heading a three-member bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar. The bench was hearing the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) plea to revisit the April 4 order that had made it liable on the electoral body to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

On April 4, the same bench ruled the ECP's decision to hold elections in Punjab on October 8 instead of April 30 was "illegal", ordering the electoral watchdog to hold polls in Punjab on May 14.

However, the election organising authority, instead of complying with the order, moved the top court to review its directives. At the outset of the hearing, the court issued notices to the respondents in the case, including political parties, the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) and advocate generals of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The CJP then asked the parties to give arguments on the admissibility of the plea, inquiring how long would it take the ECP to complete its contentions.

Responding to the inquiry, electoral body's lawyer said that he will take two to three days. After this, PTI's lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar walked to the rostrum and said, "the Constitution has been murdered". He said that a faction of the country's population comprising 100 million has been deprived of representation.

CJP Bandial remarked that it was time for holding elections in the country. "The way political power was being used was worrisome," the top judge said while referring to the environment outside the court.

It may be noted that supporters of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) entered the SC's premises after making their way into the Red Zone, to stage the sit-in against the apex court and Islamabad High Court's relief to PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

He said that two important things were funds and security to conduct the elections. "Today you have opened Pandora's box of Supreme Court's jurisdiction in the petition," the top judge remarked, criticising the ECP for not maintaining the same stance in the main petition.

"Someone else should discuss the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court," he added. CJP Bandial observed that the federal government should have come to court on this matter but they didn't, while the electoral body used its right to file a review petition. "The national institutions and assets were...