Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan has said that the disqualification for a lifetime could curb horse-trading, which the Supreme Court has termed cancer.
Speaking in Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, Javed Khalid said that floor-crossing is not only illegal but also an immoral act. Penalty for crossing floor should not be a one-time disqualification if Article 63A is read with Article 62.
AGP said that if the conscience of a parliamentarian awakens, he should resign and seek re-election. Article 63A does not apply to the government’s allies.
Therefore, a parliamentarian crossing floor should be considered to have lost the qualities stated in Article 62 (1)(f) of Article 63A is to be made effective, AGP Khan said.
As per the attorney general, the two questions — is Article 63A an isolated provision of the Constitution or is it part of the larger scheme that includes Article 62 (1)(f) — is the government’s case in the apex court.
