ISLAMABAD: After President Dr Arif Alvi returned the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, aimed at curtailing the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s powers for reconsideration to the Parliament yesterday, the government is mulling to call a joint session of parliament to get the bill approved. To deliberate on this option, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened an important meeting of the federal cabinet at 2pm today (Sunday).

In the meeting, consultation on legal issues will be held and a strategy regarding the Supreme Court decision will be deliberated upon. The meeting will endorse the decisions of the National Security Committee (NSC). There will also be a discussion on the return of the Judicial Reforms Bill and its approval by the joint session of the Parliament which will be held tomorrow (Monday). Important decisions regarding polls to Punjab Assembly are likely to be taken in the meeting.

It has been learnt that most cabinet members will take part in the meeting via video link. The Supreme Court has ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct election in Punjab on May 14 and also asked the government to provide Rs21 billion for the polls to the ECP by April 10. During his presser yesterday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that it didn’t seem that election was going to be held within 90-day. He said the crisis had been compounded by the April 4 Supreme Court order striking down the government’s plans to delay elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.