SC issues notice to Elahi in deputy speaker ruling case

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The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a notice to former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as it reopens a case concerning a controversial ruling when by the provincial assembly’s former deputy speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari.

The notice was served as part of a review filed by former CM Hamza Shahbaz, who had challenged the court’s earlier verdict that nullified the deputy speaker’s ruling.

During the hearing, Justice Aminuddin Khan inquired whether the case had become irrelevant.

Hamza Shahbaz’s counsel, Haris Azmat, argued it remained significant, pointing to previous notices issued to all parties by the constitutional bench.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked about Elahi’s representation, noting his status as a respondent in the case.

The Supreme Court had previously invalidated the deputy speaker’s decision, which was instrumental in electing Hamza Shahbaz as Punjab’s chief minister.

Elahi to be indicted on Jan 7 in graft case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) indicted seven accused in corruption reference related to development projects and summoned Punjab former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on January 7 to indict him in the case.

The court issued written order on indictment of Khan Bhatti and others. The court stated all accused in the same case are indicted at a time as per practice but in this case the court finds it hard to see all accused in the same hearing. The court mentioned that Bhatti had skipped the hearing on medical ground in the previous hearing and Pervaiz Elahi sought absence from the court hearing on medical ground from Saturday's hearing.

However, in order to fulfill the demands of justice, the court deems it necessary to indict the accused who are present in the court and it will indict the other accused in the subsequent hearing.

The court indicted Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Khalid Mehmood Chatha, Asif Mehmood, Naeem Iqbal, Muhammad Asghar and Asad Ali and summoned Pervaiz Elahi on January 7.