Govt vows not to let CJP have his way

• Legislature, executive refuses to abide by verdict; PM calls it ‘murder of justice
• Legal team tasked with ‘repulsing’ judgment
• Minister to write to the apex court to take up reference against Z.A. Bhutto’s ‘judicial murder.
ISLAMABAD: In an act of open defiance, the National Assembly and the federal cabinet — dominated by members of the ruling coalition — refused to abide by the Supreme Court ruling that fixed May 14 as the election date in Punjab, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling the verdict a “murder of justice”.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, where the judiciary came under intense criticism for its latest judgment, categorically declared that the decision would not be implemented at any cost and demanded a full court to hear the issue — a demand long held by the government. They asked Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to “rethink and constitute a full court bench” to resolve the crisis while also drawing comparisons between the decision which led to the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the ruling on polls date. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, PM Shehbaz Sharif equated the decision with that of the ‘judicial murder’ of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and said that “his murder took place on April 4, 1979, and on the same date (today), the unfortunate episode was repeated” through the polls ruling. “Two decisions were made today, murder of Bhutto and murder of justice, which is highly regrettable,” the premier said while speaking at the National Assembly session. During a meeting of the federal cabinet that categorically rejected the verdict, the apex executive body directed the legal team to find ways to repulse the decision. “The prime minister has directed me and the attorney general to give a legal opinion on the Supreme Court’s decision that has been made in such a way that it negated the judicial system of the country,” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on the floor of the National Assembly following the cabinet huddle.
The verdict regarding elections in Punjab would further deepen the constitutional and political crises in the country, he said, adding: “We have reservations about the decision and our legal team will decide about the future course of action after consultations”…
Source: dawnnews.com