LAHORE: Sensing that contempt of court proceedings against the federal government or the prime minister may be on the cards for not complying with the apex court’s order to hold elections in Punjab next month, two cabinet members spoke on Tuesday of “a conspiracy being hatched against the ruling coalition”.

“The government has done nothing so far that comes within the purview of contempt of court,” Fed­eral Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar told a presser.

After the audio leak of a conversation between former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and PTI lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim, Mr Tarar said it seemed that “some elements are conspiring” against the government.

Referring to Saqib Nisar, Mr Tarar said: “Such elements want that contempt proceedings should be initiated against the government (in the Punjab election case). But the Supreme Court should take notice of this audio.”

The minister further said conversation in the audio leak could drive a wedge between institutions.

“Saqib Nisar needs to be more careful in his conversation as there is a perception that he had the main role in the conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif in 2016-17,” he said.

Mr Tarar said the parliament had a mandate to make legislation, wondering how could the Supreme Court stop implementation of the Practice and Procedure Bill before its enactment. He asserted that since both houses of parliament had passed the bill, it should be implemented.

Malik Ahmad Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, also expressed fears that a conspiracy was afoot to embroil the government in contempt of court proceedings.

“After Saqib Nisar’s audio leak, the government cannot be implicated in contempt of court,” he insisted, urging the apex court to take suo motu notice to reach at the bottom of the matter.

He said while a ruling was given for conducting elections in Punjab in 90 days, but it was not applied to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The two assemblies were dissolved in mid-January.

Malik Ahmad Khan said under Article 34, “we have the right to move a reference against (retired justice) Saqib Nisar, Chief Justice Bandial and his mother-in-law in the Supreme Judicial Council for (alleged) violation of the code of conduct”.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023