ISLAMABAD A three-member Supreme Court bench on Monday issued a notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan to appear before the apex court in two identical petitions challenging the NAB Amendment Ordinance, recently promulgated by President Asif Ali Zardari without mandatory consultation with the Prime Minister. The bench comprising Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa was hearing the petitions filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Shahid Orakzai. PML-N leader Zafar Ali Shah claimed that the Prime Minister was not consulted while issuing the ordinance, which was a violation of Article 48 of the Constitution. Shahid Orakzai, in his petition, requested the court to declare that the promulgation of any ordinance by the President without a positive advice of the Prime Minister violates the Constitution and invokes Article 47 of the Constitution. The petitions filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution making the Federation through the Law Secretary as respondent have sought a ruling on violation of the Constitution by the President. The ordinance issued by Zardari on September 16 exploded in both the Houses of Parliament on October 4, embarrassing Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the National Assembly, forcing an opposition walkout from the Senate and a split within the PPP, with Senator Raza Rabbani joining the opposition walkout. The petitioners contended that the NAB law amendment was aimed to take away the powers of the NAB chairman. They questioned as to whether the President could promulgate an ordinance under Article 89 without the advice of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister.