The powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan were taken away to put pressure on the Judiciary Imran Khan

Islamabad, Mar 29 (PTI) Pakistan  Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has slammed the Center for trying to curtail the discretionary powers of the country’s Chief Justice, asserting that the move is aimed at putting more pressure on the judiciary.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday tabled the “Supreme Courts (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023” after Chief Justice Umar Ata Pandiyal issued a voluntary notice on February 22 regarding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Geo TV quoted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader as saying in a televised address on Tuesday that “every one of us wants judicial reforms. But their [PDM parties’] only aim is to survive the elections.” .
“Criminal attacks on the Supreme Court of Pakistan, attempts to curtail its powers and corrupt it, are strongly opposed by the people and this opposition will continue,” Khan tweeted.
Khan, 70, said the current government took the decision in haste and only to put pressure on the judiciary, the report said.
The  suo motu  (on its own) jurisdiction is based on the original jurisdiction of the court under Article 184 of the Constitution.
However, its use over the years has created an impression of bias on the part of the Chief Justice.
Openly challenged for the first time by a two-judge bench, in its 3-2 majority judgment on March 1, it ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult President Arif Alvi for elections in Punjab. and Governor Ghulam Ali for election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A five-member bench was reconstituted by Bandial, who had originally constituted a nine-member bench to deal with the issue, taking voluntary action against the election delay.
However, two of the nine judges dissented from the decision to take voluntary notice, while two others recused themselves, prompting the Chief Justice to constitute a fresh bench.
Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail, in their extensive 28-page dissenting note, voluntarily rejected the judgment in the case, impugning the power of the Chief Justice to constitute a bench for important cases.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, which supports the ECP’s decision to postpone elections in both provinces to October 8, is trying to use Parliament to curtail the Chief Justice’s powers.
Former prime minister Khan reiterated his demand for snap elections, saying the government had nothing to do with the law.
“At least 40 cases of terrorism have been registered against me. Am I a terrorist? The government is not doing anything according to law,” he added.
Cricketer-turned-politician Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.
Since his ouster, he has been calling for snap elections in the country to remove what he called an “imported government” led by Prime Minister Sharif.