ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday turned down the ruling of the Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari in the Chief Minister’s Election, declaring Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial announced the 11-page verdict reserved earlier in the day after the hearing into the petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi completed against Dost Mazari’s ruling.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial was accompanied by Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar.
In its judgement, the Apex Court ruled that the Deputy Speaker’s ruling of July 22 has no legal value.
The Court also declared the oath taken by Hamza Shahbaz and all appointments made by him null and void and directed the Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman to administer the oath of the new Punjab Chief Minister to Chaudhry Parvez Elahi till 11:30 tonight at Governor House in Lahore.
The Court ruled that if the Governor Punjab do not administer the oath then the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi shall do it.
It also ordered Hamza Shahbaz to vacate the Office of the Chief Minister immediately.
Security had been tightened at the Supreme Court wherein heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies had been deployed while the judgement was being announced.
Earlier last night, the coalition government announced to boycott the Supreme Court’s proceedings in the Case after the three-member bench turned down their request for forming a full bench to hear the pleas regarding election of the Chief Minister Punjab.
On July 22, the Chaudhry Parvez Elahi bagged 186 votes while the Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-N) Hamza Shahbaz secured 179 votes in the Chief Minister’s Election. However, the Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 votes of PML-Q lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly over violation of the Party Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s order. Eventually, Hamza Sharif was declared winner.
