The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s contentious ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election, and declared it “illegal” as it announced the highly anticipated verdict on PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s petition.
The verdict saw Hamza Shehbaz lose his status as the “trustee” chief minister and his rival from PML-Q, Parvez Elahi, who had PTI’s backing, and will now take over the position as per the top court’s order.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar announced the decision.
During the election, Mazari, the deputy speaker, had decided against counting the votes of 10 PML-Q lawmakers, which were cast in Elahi’s favour, citing a letter written by party President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in which he had instructed them to vote for Hamza instead. That decision had tipped the balance in Hamza’s favour — an advantage the SC reversed in its verdict.
The top court, in its short order, declared all the appointments made by Hamza “illegal” and told the members of his cabinet to vacate their offices.
All of the advisers and assistants appointed by Hamza were also ordered to be relieved of their duties.
The top court ordered for the issuance of Elahi’s notification as the new Punjab chief minister immediately, also instructing the governor to take his oath at 11:30pm tonight.
In case the governor does not administer oath to Elahi, President Dr Arif Alvi can do so instead, the court ruled.
Ahead of the verdict, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman paid the PML-Q chief a visit at his residence in Lahore.
Earlier today, the counsel for Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari, Irfan Qadir, informed the Supreme Court that his client had instructed him not to participate further in the case proceedings and he would instead file a petition for review of the court’s decision not to constitute a full bench.
PPP counsel Farooq H. Naek also declined to participate in the court proceedings. However, they both stayed in the courtroom and watched the proceedings.
The ruling coalition had said yesterday it would boycott the proceedings in protest.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, while talking to media persons outside the apex court’s Lahore registry, said that the SC should not be burdened with “political matters”.
“The PML-N should have accepted its defeat and separated from the government after the [Punjab CM] election,” he said, adding that this matter should never even have been brought to the court.
