ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday left the decision on whether or not to continue with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's disqualification case on the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

The apex court bench, which heard three identical petitions seeking the premier's disqualification at the Supreme Court's Quetta registry, observed that the chief justice had the constitutional mandate to make a decision on the disqualification case.

In an order released today, the bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, said petitions seeking the premier's disqualification had raised important constitutional questions over which the court's verdict was necessary.

It further said that the interpretation of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution was essential, adding that it was also important to figure out whether or not Prime Minister Nawaz defamed the country's armed forces and if the premier qualified the said provisions of the Constitution.

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The order recommended the apex court to appoint senior lawyers Raza Rabbani, Hamid Khan and Khawaja Haris as assistants and requested that all the petitions questioning the legality of the parliamentarians' membership be clubbed together.

"A judgement regarding Article 62, 63 has to come," the bench's order said. Justice Khawaja remarked that a judgment about the aforementioned provisions was important with regard to local bodies elections as well.

The bench further said that it did not agree with the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that dismissed a petition seeking the premier's disqualification, adding that it had raised some important questions on which the country's future depended.

The bench requested the chief justice to form another bench in this regard and also announce a date for hearing.

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