ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that a dissident member of the Parliament cannot cast vote against party directives.
In its verdict on the presidential reference filed to seek interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution, the Court declared that a dissident lawmaker’s vote cannot be counted.
The Supreme Court said that Article 63-A can’t be read separately as it also talks about the rights of the political parties which provide the base for the political statement.
The Court ruled that the defection can destabilize and derail the parliamentary democracy.
آرٹیکل 63 اے کی تشریح سے متعلق صدارتی ریفرنس پر سپریم کورٹ کی رائے۔۔۔چیف جسٹس کی سربراہی میں بینچ نے 3-2سے رائے دی۔۔۔منحرف ارکان کا ووٹ شمار نہیں ہو گا۔۔۔منحرف ارکان کی تاحیات نا اہلی کیلئے قانون سازی پارلیمنٹ کا اختیار ہے۔۔۔۔انحراف کی نااہلی کی مدت کا فیصلہ پارلیمنٹ کرے۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/LTqJQJ877h
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) May 17, 2022
The judgment was announced by a five-member bench of the Apex Court headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail,
Two judges including Justice Mazhar Alam and Justice Jamal Khan gave dissenting notes.
However, the Court sent back the question to the President seeking disqualification of dissident members for life, observing that it is the right time for the Parliament to go for legislation regarding the time period of disqualification of a dissident lawmaker.
Earlier in the day, the bench reserved the judgement after the completion of hearing into the presidential reference.
