Judge sends back petitions challenging Punjab CM election to LHC boss

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on Monday sent a set of petitions challenging the election of Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab chief minister back to the chief justice.

Justice Khan heard a set of petitions seeking to nullify the election of Chief Minister Shehbaz.

During the hearing, Azhar Siddique contended the case was almost completed in the court of Chief Justice Ameer Bhatti but the files were instead sent to this court.

Justice Khan observed there was no order available regarding the transfer of the files. So, the judge returned the petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Munir Ahmad and others back to Justice Bhatti.

The top judge was hearing petitions against Shehbaz. The petitioners contended that after the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 63-A, Shehbaz had lost his constitutional right to remain in power and requested the court to restrain him from holding office as he had lost the majority in the provincial assembly.

The court was requested to declare all measures and actions adopted by the incumbent chief minister as “illegal and unconstitutional”.

During the May 30 hearing of the case, Justice Bhatti remarked the Supreme Court short order specified that votes of the dissident members would not be counted if the voting was pending.

“If we apply this order on past cases then it means that all decisions will be reversed,” CJ Bhatti remarked.

Chief Minister Shehbaz also submitted his 16-page reply to the court on May 23 in which he insisted that his election was held in accordance with the rules and constitution of the country.

He held that the election for the chief minister was held before the interpretation of Article 63-A by the Supreme Court and the interpretation did not affect the election.

He further stated that the investigation related to the election by the former governor was illegal and the Punjab Assembly secretary, too, had no jurisdiction to inquire into the election.

Shehbaz requested the court to dismiss petitions against his election after imposing a fine on the petitioners.