Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has asked why the Supreme Court (SC) should not proceed against former National Assembly (NA) deputy speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Qasim Suri for violating the Constitution.

“Qasim Suri did not hold [voting] on the no-confidence motion. He became the cause of the constitutional crisis in the country,” the CJP remarked while referring to the 2022 crisis related to the ouster of then-prime minister Imran Khan via parliamentary vote.

The CJP also stated that it was suggested that a former NA deputy speaker should be tried under Article 6 for treason. “Then tell us, why we should not proceed against you on abrogation of the Constitution?”

The CJP passed the remarks during the hearing of Suri’s 2019 petition challenging the election tribunal’s decision to declare his election from NA-265 (Quetta-II) unlawful on September 27, that same year.

In 2019, a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Umar Ata Bandial rejected the petition of the election tribunal and restored Qasim Suri’s membership.

Baloch leader Lashkari Raisani had challenged Suri’s victory in the Quetta constituency during the 2018 elections.