The Supreme Court throws out what the deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly said.
WebDesk (Islamabad): Political observers, the media, and all the parties involved were waiting with bated breath for the Supreme Court’s decision. Late on Tuesday, the court said that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was the rightful chief minister of Punjab because he got 186 votes in the run-off election on July 22 and his opponent, PML-Hamza N’s Shehbaz, only got 179 votes.
The Supreme Court also told Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman to give Parvez Elahi the oath of office in accordance with the law and the Constitution no later than Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. And if the governor couldn’t or wouldn’t do the job, President Alvi could do it.
The order also said that all legal acts, deeds, and things that Hamza or any other member of the provincial cabinet did or thought they did in accordance with the Constitution and law were saved and protected under the de facto doctrine, subject to all just and legal exceptions and any review, change, reversal, or withdrawal that the new chief minister and any member of the cabinet or other officer appointed by him thought was necessary.
The decision was made after a three-hour wait. First, CJP Bandial said the decision would be made at 5:45 pm. Later, he said it would be made at 7:30 pm. But the decision was made public around 9 p.m.
The trial lasted three days, from Saturday to Tuesday. During that time, lawyers from all sides gave their cases.
In short order, the court told the Punjab chief secretary to make plans for Elahi to take an oath on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. Later, Pervaiz Elahi was told that he was the chief minister by the chief secretary.
In an 11-page short order, Chief Justice Bandial said, “We find that the Deputy Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Dost Muhammad Mazari, misunderstood and misapplied the said short judgment as well the provisions of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution. This cannot be upheld.”
The notice said, “As a result of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s short order in the constitutional petition No. 22 of 2022, dated July 26, 2022, Mr. Pervaiz Elahi is immediately declared to be the rightful chief minister of Punjab.”
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