Lahore, Pakistan: Hamza Shabaz Sharif survived as CM Punjab after getting 179 votes in Punjab Assembly on July 22, 2022. This run-off election was held under the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Ch Pervaiz Ellahi got 174 votes while the votes of PMLQ were not counted as Chairman Party PMLQ Ch Shujaat Hussain ordered his members not to vote.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, heard the petition filed by the PTI challenging the Lahore High Court (LHC) order.
The apex court directed to hold a second poll for the election of the chief minister in terms of the proviso to Article 130 of the Constitution shall be held on Friday, 22.07.2022 at 4:00 pm in the Punjab Assembly building to be chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
The order stated that Hamza Shahbaz has “undertaken before the court that he and his cabinet shall exercise the powers and function their offices strictly in a fiduciary capacity as envisaged by the Constitution and the law to support the process of bye-election in the Province to be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner by the Election Commission of Pakistan.”
It said that such commitment is made so that the people of Punjab are not deprived of due representation and governance, and to avoid any constitutional vacuum, anomaly or complication. “However, such entrustment shall continue only till 22.07.2022 when a second poll takes place in terms of Article 130 of the Constitution.”
The court has also directed the LHC to issue detailed reasons related to the notification on reserved seats within one week and instructed the Election Commission to implement it forthwith.
In its conclusion, the order appreciated “the positive and constructive attitude adopted and the role played not only by the top leadership of three political parties involved in the dispute but also by the respective learned counsel.”
Timeline
2 April – After the resignation of Buzdar, the meeting of the Punjab Assembly was convened on 2 April 2022 to elect a new Chief Minister.
3 April – The session of Punjab Assembly which started late and last only for 6 minutes under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, after he was beaten up by PTI MPAs.
5 April – Deputy Speaker Mazari issued a statement to convene the Assembly session on 6 April
6 April – The Secretary Assembly refused to comply with the orders of the Deputy Speaker.
In the symbolic session of the Punjab Assembly, 199 members passed a resolution to elect Hamza Shahbaz as the Chief Minister.
On 16 April 2022, from the very beginning of the meeting, a riot broke out in the House and the Deputy Speaker was tortured. For the first time, the police also came in the House. Government members threw ewers, scratched and slapped Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi kept applauding his members but during the same commotion he was also injured in the violence.
