Against the backdrop of anti-judiciary rhetoric by several ministers, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has said the court is exercising restraint and that no one should “misunderstand our intentions”. An appropriate order would be passed on holding simultaneous elections to the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies on the same date, he insisted. Several rounds of talks between the government and the opposition on the issue have yielded little. The ruling coalition told the court that it was willing to hold further consultations but opposition leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he saw nothing coming out of the negotiations. He accused the government of pushing the country towards a constitutional crisis and showing no flexibility during the negotiations. During the hearing, the chief justice regretted that the government did not want to discuss law but wanted to do politics. “We have kept our cool and chose not to respond to anything since justice cannot be dispensed in rage,” he said, according to Dawn.
