ISLAMABAD – PM Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday(April-03) it was absolutely against the norms of justice to have justice served by the SC bench hearing the Punjab &7 KP elections’ case.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan & Justice Muneeb Akhtar, is hearing the case & will announce the verdict the SC reserved after intense arguments on Tuesday(April-04).

Addressing the NA session soon after the PML-N’s parliamentary party meeting, the Prime Minister Shehbaz said the coalition partners had unanimously expressed “no confidence” on the bench, adding that the country would not be reluctant to accept the verdict if the SC’s full bench, without these three judges on it, had announced it. “When I put forward my recommendations before the National Assembly a few days ago, the Chief Justice of Pakistan remarked that some people had been delivering speeches after facing the jails”, he added.

He went on to say that Pakistan’s history was replete with instances of [politicians] going to jail, adding that it was degrading in a justice-friendly society to get indicted in criminal cases. “Only the opposition was sent to jails in PTI’s tenure & Imran Khan was ready to send me to jail for the third time too,” he added. The court granted me bail, he said, when I had faced jail for the 1st time in PTI’s tenure.

Shehbaz Sharif said Khan’s lawyer Naeem Bukhari had filed a petition seeking revocation of my bail, adding that Mr Bukhari ran away upon hearing the judge’s remarks. “A full bench of the Lahore High Court granted me bail in the second case & I am addressing the House after getting bail on merit,” he added.

The Prime Minister continued by saying that he was only responsible for raising his voice against the destruction the PTI government had caused. He said Mr Khan perceived us as an obstacle to his way. “It is my crime that the opposition alliance elected me as Prime Minister,” he added. He asked if it was a matter of shame to address the house with your head up.