Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Supreme Court's verdict regarding the Practice and Procedure Act 2023 doesn’t affect party supremo Nawaz Sharif.
Taking to the microblonng website X, the former prime minister termed the apex court’s verdict regarding the Practice and Procedure Act 2023 a welcome step.
He said that the top court’s ruling not only democratizes the workings of the Supreme Court itself but also shows due respect to the Parliament, which represents the people of Pakistan.
“It is important to mention that, according to legal experts, the specific clause under discussion concerning appeals against past judgments does not affect Mian Nawaz Sharif,” he added.
The decision
Earlier, a full court bench comprising 15 judges of the Supreme Court, head by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, while pronouncing the judgement that was reserved earlier in the day after five consecutive hearings, dismissed the petitions against the Practice and Procedure Act, and sustained the law with a majority of 10-5 and the law was deemed in accordance with the Constitution.
According to the verdict, the right to appeal will not apply retroactively. The clause seeking application of the right to appeal on past decisions has been voided with 8-7 majority, while the chief justice dissented from the decision.
The right to appeal in decisions of suo motu cases under Article 184(3) has been sustained with a 6-9 majority. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazahar Naqvi, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik were among the dissenters of the 10-5 verdict. With this decision, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act stands enforced.
Read the verdict below
