PTI on Friday challenged in the Supreme Court the appointment of Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and petitioned that he be restrained from performing any function regarding the elections and appointing any cabinet members.
In the petition filed by Advocate Imtiaz Rashid Siddiqui, the PTI argued that Naqvi’s appointment by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was “in direct violation of the provisions of the Constitution read with the provisions of the Elections Act 2017 and the Election Rules 2017”.
The party asked for the ECP to be declared “‘en masse’ biased and in violation of the code of conduct prescribed under Article 209 of the Constitution” (Supreme Judicial Council), claiming that it had abused constitutional and statutory powers.
The petition also asked for the appointment of Babar Hassan Bharwana and Justice (Retd) Ikramullah Khan as ECP members to be declared in violation of the Constitution, and be struck down.
Moreover, it requested that PPP leader Raja Riaz Ahmad’s appointment in May 2022 as the Leader of the Opposition be suspended as well, since it was “without lawful authority and of no legal effect”.
It alleged that National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had “exercised mala fide powers” in designating Ahmad for the role.
