The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday instructed Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mazari and Leader of the Opposition in PA Hamza Shahbaz to mutually finalise a date for the election of the chief minister.
“All of them should sit in the office of the Punjab advocate-general and solve the matter amicably,” Justice Amir Bhatti said. “Remember that we are all residents of this country. Don’t create a scene outside. Solve the problem at home, together.”
His remarks had come as the court took up Hamza’s petition which had sought its help in holding elections for Punjab’s new chief minister in a “fair and transparent” manner. Earlier, the LHC CJ had clubbed Elahi’s petition in the case as well, which had accused the PML-N leader of holding MPAs hostage.
During the hearing, referring to the April 3 PA session, the judge remarked that the question in front of the court was whether an assembly sitting to elect the CM could be adjourned. “We have to ask relevant authorities about the process of the CM election.”
In his arguments, PML-N’s counsel Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the post of Punjab CM had been empty since the resignation of Usman Buzdar. “Right now, the province doesn’t have an executive,” he said.
Consequently, the judge directed the PA secretary to brief the court about the election record.
He replied that after Buzdar’s resignation on April 1, the process of election started the next day. “On April 2, the scrutiny [of candidates] was completed and nomination papers were accepted as well.”
On April 3, the secretary continued, a session — led by Mazari — was called, but it was adjourned till April 6 after a fight broke out between the women MPAs inside the assembly hall.
“Do you have a video of the fight,” the LHC CJ asked.
The secretary replied in the affirmative and continued that on April 4 he had sent a report on the damages inside the PA to the speaker who then further adjourned the session.
“But on April 6, a notification issued by Mazari started doing rounds on social media. It said that a session was being called in the evening,” he said, adding that the Assembly Secretariat wasn’t informed about it despite repeated calls to the deputy speaker.
Consequently, he added, the speaker striped Mazari of his powers.
Here, Justice Bhatti asked the reason behind the speaker’s actions. “You didn’t receive the notification … This means no process was to take place.”
The secretary replied that later a no-confidence motion had been moved against the deputy speaker. “When this happens, the deputy speaker can’t chair the session.”
