The National Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution rejecting the decision of a three-member bench of the Supreme Court in the Punjab elections delay case.

On April 4, the apex court quashed the ECP’s decision to delay the elections in the province from April 30 to October 8, ruling the move was “unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, [and] of no legal effect”.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister described the decision, in a cabinet meeting, as a “mockery of the Constitution and law” and said it could not be implemented.

That viewpoint reverberated in the National Assembly today, which not only passed a resolution against the Supreme Court’s April 4 ruling, but also urged the prime minister not to abide by it.

The resolution was moved by Balochistan Awami Party legislator Khalid Magsi, who read it out on the floor of the house.

“This house rejects the minority decision of the three-member bench and binds the prime minister and the cabinet not to implement the unconstitutional and unlawful decision,” Magsi said as he read out the resolution.

It said that the house considers the conduct of general elections simultaneously across the country as the solution to all the problems. It noted this is in accordance with the procedure laid down in the law and Constitution for political and economic stability.

The house expressed concern over “interference in political matters” saying the judgements of the “minority” are creating anarchy in the country and paving the way for division in the federating units.

The resolution also voiced concern over the “wrong interpretation” of Article 63-A of the Constitution and demanded the formation of a full court of the Supreme Court to review it.

The prime minister briefly attended the proceedings and left shortly after the resolution was passed.

Before the resolution was brought, lawmakers took turns criticising the Supreme Court and PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

PPP MNA and Federal Minister for Benazir Income Support Programme, Shazia Marri, said the House honours the courts but they should also understand the “trichotomy of power, they should understand that every institution needs to be paid a certain amount of respect “.

She said the Constitution defines the role of all the institutions that function in the country, and it (the Constitution) has to be upheld — “not the ego of one person”.

“There has to be a separation between the executive and the judiciary,” she added. “We also have to accept that the executive should not interfere with the judiciary, which I accept that I should not interfere in the matters concerning lordships, the same way lordship should not interfere with executive matters,” she added.

She also made a film reference, describing Imran as the “Manchurian candidate” who said that “it is better to blow Pakistan up with an atom bomb rather than letting these people come back in power”.

She also had choice words for Imran Khan, calling him a “narcissist”.

Resolution against Israeli raid on Al Aqsa

Earlier the house passed a resolution strongly condemning the recent Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Over 350 people were arrested on Wednesday as Israeli police attacked dozens of worshippers in the mosque’s compound before dawn in what Israeli police said was a response to rioting.

The incident sparked protests across the occupied West Bank and the Israeli military claimed nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel after sirens blared in southern towns.

Today’s resolution was moved by the PPP leader Naz Baloch, who said the house strongly condemned the “brutal attack by occupied Israeli at Al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramazan”.

“Attacking innocent worshippers including women and children is a gross violation of human rights,” the resolution said. It said the house “stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine”.

The house demanded the international community, including human rights organisations, to break the silence on the violence. “The violence led by the Israeli forces deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world,” it added.

Additional reporting by Irfan Sadozai