Pakistan’s parliament members rejected a verdict by the country’s top Court ordering elections in a province next month, a rare move that may ignite a legal crisis in the nation already faced with political and economic plight.
(Bloomberg) — Pakistan’s parliament members rejected a verdict by the country’s top Court ordering elections in a province next month, a rare move that may ignite a legal crisis in the nation already faced with political and economic plight.
The members of the 342-seat National Assembly, or Parliament’s lower house, approved a resolution barring Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to implement the Supreme Court’s order two days ago that called for holding elections in the crucial Punjab province on May 14, state-run Pakistan Television reported. Majority of the lawmakers belong to the coalition government while a few are from opposition leader Imran Khan’s party.
Analysts say the resolution has no legal consequences and it is more of a political move by the government after the court order was seen as a major boost to former Prime Minister Khan, who has been calling for early elections against a pushback by the government to delay the ballot.
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