THE country seems to be heading towards a constitutional breakdown as state institutions clash within and among themselves. A defiant government refusing to comply with the apex court order and the widening divide within the top court itself has created a very dangerous impasse. The desperate efforts by the military-backed regime to tame an assertive judiciary has heightened the crisis of the state. The endgame of the ongoing confrontation is uncertain.

Apparently, it was the unholy nexus between a shaky ruling coalition and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that precipitated the crisis. In an unprecedented act of defiance, the two have refused to implement the July 12 majority ruling that the PTI be given its due share of reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.

What seems to have encouraged their non-compliance is the simmering tension among the top judges becoming public. The open split between the outgoing chief justice and the senior puisne judge is now being fully exploited by the PML-N-led government to further widen the divide that would allow the ruling set-up to undermine the apex court’s authority.

It is quite apparent that the government is betting on the chief justice to tilt the balance in the court in its favour. The latest ordinance issued by the president has virtually restored the powers of the chief justice as master of the roster, which had been restricted by earlier legislation. Unfortunately, many have perceived the role of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa in the entire matter as something not expected from the top judge of........

© Dawn