ISLAMABAD/LAHORE    -     Minister for Informa­tion and Broadcast­ing Marriyum Aurang­zeb Friday said that the detailed note of Justice Athar Minallah is a ques­tion mark on Supreme Court's proceedings in the case pertaining to elections in Punjab.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, she said Justice Minal­lah's note proves that the proceedings after the pe­tition was dismissed by a majority of 4-3 bench, was wrong interpreta­tion of Constitution, mis­conduct and undue po­litical interference by judiciary in politics. 

After Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah's hard-hitting obser­vation that noted the suo-motu on the delay in holding polls in Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab was dismissed 4-3, Aurangzeb said: " Chief justice has now become controversial. Therefore, the chief jus­tice should resign."

The minister said the Supreme Court's han­dling of this case has ensued a constitution­al crisis in the country. The Minister said no po­litical party ever evades elections, but elections should be held on the completion of constitu­tional tenure of the as­semblies and at the same time across the country and should not be suscep­tible to the whims of any individual.

Meanwhile, Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz Sharif Friday demanded resignation from the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial accus­ing him of being biased in favour of the Pakistan Teh­reek-e-Insaf and its leader­ship. 

“No CJ has ever been accused of such miscon­duct. His tilt towards PTI is glaring. CJP Ban­dial must RESIGN’’, she said in a series of tweets shortly after the meeting of the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday af­ternoon. 

Maryam Nawaz alleged that the chief justice had committed flagrant vio­lations of law and Con­stitution to favor Imran Khan and his party. “This blatant abuse of authori­ty has led to an unprece­dented revolt-like situa­tion in the Supreme Court and judges of impecca­ble repute have raised se­rious questions on CJP’s conduct and bias”, she maintained. 

She also called upon the government to file a ref­erence against the chief justice and demand­ed that the chief justice and his favorite judges should be asked to step down till the outcome of the decision on the ref­erence. “The reference against the CJP has to be filed by the government, cabinet. Even if the pres­ident withholds it, let the world see the evil-nexus and identify the accom­plices in crime. It will further cement that fact that they are hand-in-glove with the CJP”, she observed in her tweet. 

Maryam said that Par­liament could also file the reference [if the gov­ernment could not do so]. “Fairness demands that justice be carried out smoothly and impartially”, she demanded. 

Maryam Nawaz Shar­if has been much vocal in criticism of the chief jus­tice and his like-minded judges for delivering a ver­dict which according to her was controversial and un­constitutional. After the Supreme Court decision about Punjab polls, she had questioned why the 4/3 judgment was changed into 3/2 to favor the PTI.