Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro (MNA Pakistan Peoples Party)

His hope reflected the anxiety in the country over what the verdict would entail for the balance of constitutional powers among various organs of the state, mainly between parliament and the judiciary.

Special security arrangements have been made and the court office decided to issue special passes to regulate the entry into Courtroom One where a 17-judge bench will announce the verdict.

Security cameras have been installed in the courtroom, at public entry gates and in reception areas of the Supreme Court building. Entry into the building will be allowed after frisking of people and searching of their bags and purses. No cellphone will be allowed inside the courtroom.

Legal experts here are of the opinion that the judgment will mainly focus on the new mechanism approved by parliament for appointment of superior court judges by inserting Article 175-A which, according to petitioners, impinges on the independence of judiciary.

The prime minister said he was hopeful the court judgment on the 18th Amendment would be positive.

“Our relations with the judiciary are not bad at all and if there is anything which needs to be defused we are ready for it,” he said in reply to a question about his address to the nation on Sunday in which he had said he was ready to sit with the judges and even set up a body to sort out matters so that justice to the common man could be delivered.

“Our party respects the judiciary more than any other party”. Talking to reporters, the prime minister reiterated his government’s commitment to media freedom and said that there was no truth in reports that a meeting of the PPP core committee held in the presidency on Tuesday night had discussed proposals to rein in the media.

He said that the criticism of a media group by Punjab’s Senior Minister Raja Riaz was his personal opinion which had nothing to do with the government policy.

Mr Gilani said government’s relations with all television channels were cordial and it did not intend to curb any channel because of differences of opinion over some issues.

In reply to a question about PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s proposals for a long-term national agenda, the prime minister said: “We are already in the process of implementing the Charter of Democracy that was agreed and signed by PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and Mr Sharif and if he again talks to us for its expansion we will respond to it positively.”

He said that most articles of the charter had been implemented by the government and the rest would also be implemented before completion of its tenure.