Differences between the top judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has exacerbated to seemingly a point of no return. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial headed SCP bench remains adamant about holding provincial elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the government's disapproval, reported The Express Tribune. There are clear divisions among the SCP judges on the matter as some are against the apex court's "suo moto" powers - alleged to be arbitrarily exercised by CJP Bandial - in this case and has reportedly asked for a larger bench to address the ongoing political turmoil in the country, reported Arab News. On the other hand, the powerful military establishment is backing the Shehbaz Sharif-led government on the matter and has recently informed the CJP and other judges that the security environment in Pakistan is not conducive to holding elections in the two provinces. Furthermore, the coalition government will likely use the parliament to pass the bill "to regulate the CJP's arbitrary powers," reported Gulf News. As per media reports, Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), paid a "courtesy call" to CJP Bandial on April 17, accompanied by Maj General Wajid Aziz, the Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMI), and retired Lieutenant General Hamood-uz-Zaman Khan, the Secretary of Defense, reported Friday Times. During this meeting, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar were also present, both of whom were part of the SCP bench responsible for the early election decision in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. DG ISI conveyed the military establishment's stance on the upcoming Punjab elections, scheduled for May 14. Analysts speculate that the two to three-hour-long meeting was conducted to inform the superior judiciary that the current military establishment believes that polls in Punjab are not feasible under the present security environment, reported Pak Observer. Additionally, the establishment believes that if the CJP is committed to holding elections, then both federal and provincial elections are to be held simultaneously. It appears that the military establishment wants to potentially influence the decision-making process regarding the upcoming provincial elections. DG ISI meeting came a few days after a formal visit by army chief General Syed Asim Munir to the National Assembly, where he addressed an "in-camera session" of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, reported Business Recorder. In the past, the military establishment was cautious about getting openly involved in the country's politics. However, since the controversial ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power last year, the Pakistan Army has supported the PDM government against the political opposition, including the recent decision by the SCP bench led by CJP Bandial to hold elections in Punjab. These events suggest that the establishment is unwilling to accept Khan's return to power in Islamabad and will employ all measures, even those that are unconstitutional, to delay the polls until October, reported Dawn. Imran Khan has claimed that these delaying tactics will allow the ruling PDM and its military backers to weaken his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) by targeting its key political leaders and supporters. Notably, Khan, himself is facing over 100 court cases on various allegations, including terrorism and high-level corruption. For Khan and his supporters, early elections are the only viable solution, as he enjoys substantial public support and can defeat the ruling PDM. Therefore, the SCP's decision to hold early polls in Punjab has provided a glimmer of hope for Khan and his supporters. However, divisions within the SCP and the military establishment's attempts to delay elections will complicate matters for Khan and may deepen political turmoil in Pakistan. Moreover, the PDM is now adamant about passing the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, in the joint session of the parliament to curtail the CJP's powers to take "suo motu" notices and constituting benches of the SCP, reported Business Recorder. In the first attempt, the government failed to pass the bill after President Arif Alvi had sent it back, saying that the proposed law travelled "beyond the competence of parliament" and an eight-judge SCP bench rendered the bill ineffective in a "pre-emptive strike". Due to the controversy over the bill, analysts are arguing that the SCP's decision to suspend the bill goes "beyond its constitutional mandate and encroaches on the parliament's domain." Reacting to the bill, Imran Khan said it was only approved to pressure the Supreme Court and said he doubted the government's intention. Interestingly, two SCP judges, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, had called for revisiting the power of the "one-man show" enjoyed by the chief justice, saying that Pakistan's top court could not "be dependent on the solitary decision of one man," reported Daily Times. Expectedly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the dissenting note as a "ray of hope" during his National Assembly speech and called for relevant legislation in its wake to curtail the freedom of the top judge, reported Pakistan Today. The power struggle between the judiciary and the government is likely to continue, with each side asserting its supremacy. With the military establishment siding with the ruling PDM, it is likely that a divided SCP will be under immense pressure on the issue of the election. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) want its dues, not charity under international commitments for their real structural transformation. "I can assure you that LDCs will also keep their side of the bargain. Our nations do not ask for charity; what we seek are our dues under international commitments," she said.  The premier was addressing opening plenary meeting of the 5th United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5: From Potential to Prosperity) at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) here. "The Doha Programme of Action is yet another assurance of hope for the world's most vulnerable countries. The international community must renew its commitment for real structural transformation in LDCs," she said. For graduating LDCs, she said that there should be some incentives for their performance. "They should enjoy the international support measures for LDCs for an extended period of time. They need enhanced investments and know-how to build their productive capacities," she said  Sheikh Hasina went on saying that there can be some innovative and transitional financing mechanisms meant for them. However, LDCs need sustained support to double their share of global trade, she said, adding ODA targets for LDCs from developed countries deserve to be fulfilled. The prime minister said the International Financial Institutions have the means to support debt sustainability in LDCs.  "Climate financing for LDCs should be made flexible and predictable. Technology transfer to LDCs needs to be tangible and meaningful. Our migrant workers need protection for their rights and well-being. We cannot fail the 226 million youth in LDCs," she added.  The prime minister told the meeting that the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine have dealt a major blow to LDC economies.  The rise in food and fuel price in international markets has caused inflations in most LDCs, she said. Sheikh Hasina said, "Much of the Bangladesh story owes to international support measures we negotiated for LDCs". "The duty-and-quota-free access we secured from most developed and emerging economies helped our private sector build a solid manufacturing base," she said  The prime minister said the patent waivers provided under TRIPS Agreement allowed us to locally meet 98 percent of our pharmaceutical needs. "The exemptions under other WTO agreements enabled us to boost agricultural production and combat hunger and malnutrition," she said  She went on saying that the international technical assistance we received helped us make concrete development plans. In Bangladesh, she said that they are dealing with 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar with no immediate solution.  The premier said, "I am happy to be with you at this august gathering. I thank the government and the people of Qatar for their generous hospitality. I appreciate the forward-looking words we have just heard," she said  In 1974, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh became a member state of UN under the leadership of her father, the country's Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  At the time, Bangladesh, recognised as an LDC, was struggling to rebuild the war-ravaged economy, she said. The following year, the premier said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, along with most of his family members, was brutally assassinated.  "To carry forward his (Bangabandhu) legacy, we vowed that Bangladesh will continue to champion the LDC causes. Bangladesh feels proud to have often acted as an LDC spokesperson in the last five decades. I attended the previous LDC conferences in Brussels and Istanbul," she said. The prime minister said that they are pleased that Bangladesh qualifies for LDC graduation.  "We now look forward to graduating in 2026. Bangladesh is the only LDC among the world's 50 largest economies in terms of GDP. Our march towards graduation is also marked by our efforts at just, inclusive and sustainable development," she said.