THE decision of the Supreme Court against the dissolution of the National Assembly, calling it an unconstitutional act, is not a verdict in favour or against any single individual or party; it is a decision in favour of Pakistan and in line with the oath of office taken by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial. The matter is not about winning of the government or the opposition, but about the sanctity of the legislature and the supreme law of the land.

Unlike the happenings of the past, the Supreme Court has paved the way for strengthening democracy in its real sense without any discrimination, and the verdict should be respected by all parliamentarians and institutions alike.
Live long Pakistan!

Faheem Mumtaz Kalwar
Jamshoro

(2) IT is with much pleasure that I read the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) which has restored the faith of commoners in the rule of law and democratic process. As a lawyer practising before the Indian Supreme Court and a member of the SC Bar Association, it is always a pleasure to watch the lawyers in Pakistan rising to the occasion and themselves become petitioners before the Supreme Court.

An earlier SCP judgment in Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif vs President of Pakistan, PLD 1993 Supreme Court, 473, was cited by the Indian Supreme Court in its judgment in the S.R. Bommai vs Union of India (1994) 3, SCC 1. Since then, S.R. Bommai ratio is firmly established in Indian jurisprudence.

The current SCP decision will also get cited by other democratic jurisdictions.

Prashant Padmanabhan
Advocate on Record, Supreme
Court of India
New Delhi, India

(3) AS a citizen of Pakistan, I am glad that we finally have clarity about the future course of action. I would have been happier, however, if the court also initiated an investigation into the content of the controversial ‘letter’ that has been behind the whole episode. As citizens of Pakistan, we would like to know if there is substantive evidence of foreign intervention. Also, the Supreme Court should deliver a verdict on the pending presidential reference regarding floor-crossing. The two steps will surely establish the rule of law.

Sheikh Taimur Nawaz
Islamabad

(4) THE verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan is rightly hailed as a landmark in the country’s constitutional and democratic history. It has successfully prevented the suspension of a part of the Constitution and has acknowledged its supremacy. It is being celebrated with due justification, but it has opened up an avenue for judicial interference in parliamentary affairs.

Of course, politicians are to be blamed for failing to sort out their affairs within the National Assembly. They should have learnt that they can uphold and ensure parliamen­tary sovereignty only by respecting each other. It is a pity that the only thing the politicians have learnt is the art of crafting slogans.

Zia Rizwan
Mandi Bahauddin

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2022