The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday resumed hearing the case challenging Hamza Shahbaz’s election as the Punjab chief minister.
The hearing of separate pleas — filed by PTI and PML-Q — against Hamza’s election as CM is currently underway. An LHC bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan is hearing the case.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Shahid Jameel remarked that it will hear arguments from the counsel representing Hamza Shahbaz first.
The judge remarked that Hamza’s lawyer will give arguments if the Supreme Court’s verdict on the presidential reference — seeking the interpretation of Article 63(A) of the Constitution related to defecting lawmakers — applies to past events.
The apex court, on May 17, ruled that the votes of dissident members of Parliament (MPs), cast against their parliamentary party’s directives, cannot be counted.
Following Justice Jameel’s directive, Hamza’s counsel started his arguments, maintaining that the the ruling doesn’t apply to past events unless the apex court itself says so.
“The truth is that Hamza’s election as Punjab CM hasn’t been challenged but different events had been challenged,” the counsel said.
At the completion of arguments by Hamza’s lawyer, PTI counsel Barrister Ali Zafar came to the rostrum.
Earlier, the court called President Arif Alvi’s lawyer Advocate Ahmad Awais to the rostrum and sought his views on the remarks made by the single bench about the president.
While giving his arguments, the advocate pleaded with the court to nullify the single bench remarks about the president.
At this, Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi asked if he meant to say that the remarks were given without hearing the president.
