The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday submitted its response to a reference filed in the Supreme Court by President Dr. Arif Alvi seeking the interpretation of Article 63(A).
The PPP stated that the reference doesn’t fall within the ambit of Article 186 of the Constitution under which the president can seek the top court’s opinion.
The court’s opinion on the matter will prejudice the right to appeal, the opposition party argued, adding Article 63(A) cannot be invoked against any member of the National Assembly before the process of a vote of no-confidence against a prime minister.
Earlier today, former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani approached the Supreme Court to become a party in the presidential reference.
He moved an application in the apex court stating that he headed a parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms that were introduced in the Constitution through the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Raza Rabbani said he has the first-hand knowledge of the background discussions that led the then constitution makers to incorporate Article 63 (A) in the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has submitted its reply to a presidential reference filed from President Arif Alvi in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, seeking opinion on article 63 (A) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The PML-N has termed filing of the reference as an attempt to waste precious time of the apex court in its response filed by their counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan. The article 63 (A) and article 95 are clear and every member of the Parliament has the right to vote under the Constitution of Pakistan, it said and added that every vote casted by the MNA will be counted.
The presidential reference is a pre-mature and unnecessary exercise, the PML-N counsel said and added the court has the authority to give interpretation of the Constitution not the constitutional amendments. A large bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, will hear resume hearing of the reference today.
