Pakistan Government Lawmakers Reject Top Court Order On Polls

Pakistan Government Lawmakers Reject Top Court Order On Polls
Badshahi Mosque (Photo by Dr Muhammad Amer on Unsplash)

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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