Punjab CM poll: PTI directed to make president, governor respondents

LHC larger bench orders counsel to file amended petition challenging the election of CM Hamza Shehbaz

LAHORE:

A Lahore High Court (LHC) larger bench, headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, directed the PTI’s counsels on Tuesday to file an amended petition to make president and governor responded in a plea challenging the election of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

The bench was hearing three intra court appeals against the LHC’s orders — one against the decision of LHC’s Justice Jawad Hassan who had directed the National Assembly speaker to administer oath to newly elected chief minister — second against LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti’s decisions wherein he had first ordered the president to nominate anyone to administer oath to Hamza Shehbaz and third he had advised the Punjab government to ensure administration of oath.

As the proceedings commenced, the PTI’s counsel Azhar Siddique contended that LHC should have interpreted the matter of Hamza’s election as the chief minister instead of directing the speaker National Assembly to administer oath to him.

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He drew attention of the larger bench towards a point that how the LHC issued direction or sought input of the president and the governor while they were not the respondents in those petitions heard by the LHC chief justice.

“You have made governor respondent in a petition but why did you not make president respondent [in the case],” the bench inquired. To which senior advocate Azhar Siddique replied that the president was not a party in the plea that is why they did not make him respondent in the intra-court appeal.

The counsel argued that there is no room in the Constitution for a speaker to administer oath to an elected chief minister.