Top court's 1997 recurrence feared.

ISLAMABAD -- After happenings in the last couple of days, crisis in the Supreme Court is deepening with each passing day as comparisons are being drawn between the present state of affairs with the events that took place in the apex court in 1997, when the judges were passing judicial orders against each other and finally the then Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was compelled to resign.

Former additional attorney general Tariq Mahmood Khokhar feared a historic recurrence.

"In 1997, a CJP was isolated and devoured by the concerted efforts of the government, the extra constitutionalists and a majority of brother judges. Then as now, a sympathetic president was of no help. The script seems familiar but there are crucial differences as more vocal lawyers, civil society, social media, Pakistani diaspora and a popular political party are gaining momentum for the CJP. Delayed elections will embolden them further," he added.

Senior lawyers appreciated CJP Bandial's determination of holding the general elections under the Constitution.

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However, they believed that his legacy would not be good if the Supreme Court remained divided in the current manner.

However, a lawyer belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) believed that there was no comparison between the present situation with that of 1997 during former CJP Sajjad's tenure, wherein two separate cause lists were being issued.

He said that presently, no judge wrote so far against the CJP's power that formation of benches was violative of the Constitution. However, they were questioning that the CJP's power should be used in a manner wherein transparency was ensured.

Even the judges, who held that the CJP was a master of roster, observed that there was imbalance in exercising of suo motu jurisdiction which ought to be addressed.

The PML-N lawyer said that differences among judges started much before the incumbent government came to power.

He said that a clash had started during former chief justice Saqib Nisar's era but that was not visible except one incident that happened at the Peshawar Registry.

He believed that the present division was between remains of Nisar and a victim of the former CJP era.

He, however, criticised the party leadership for facilitating CJP Umar Ata Bandial by approving his nomination for elevation to the Supreme Court.

Currently, the Supreme Court was visibly divided into...

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