LHC orders recount of votes cast in Punjab CM polls minus PTI dissidents

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 04 Jan 2023

In a major development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered recounting of the votes of Punjab chief minister's election excluding the votes of 25 PTI dissidents, while announcing the verdict on the party's pleas challenging Hamza Shahbaz's election to the CM slot.

A five-member larger bench of the LHC, headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, and comprising Justice Shahid Jamil, Justice Shehram Sarwar, Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh announced the verdict while accepting the party's pleas against Hamza's election as CM on Thursday. 

In a split decision, four judges Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, and comprising Justice Shahid Jamil, Justice Shehram Sarwar accepted the pleas while Justice Sethi raised some objections. Meanwhile, the court disposed off PML-Q's pleas.

PTI had filed five separate pleas challenging the conduct of Punjab Assembly on April 16, alongside Hamza's election.

For several weeks, the issue of the Punjab CM election has been a source of a constitutional crisis.

There was a commotion in the Punjab Assembly on the day of the CM's election and the meeting had to be held under the protection of the Deputy Speaker Police.

Hamza Shahbaz was elected CM on April 16 with 197 votes, while PTI and PML-Q candidate Pervez Elahi received no votes. The PTI had declared a boycott of the CM's election.

Following Hamza Shahbaz's election as CM on April 16, the governor of Punjab refused to administer the oath of office to him and the petition for the CM's oath had been filed in the LHC.

The LHC first requested that the Punjab governor, then the President, to administer the oath to the CM after which PTI filed a petition in the LHC.

A two-member LHC bench had referred the case to the chief justice for the formation of a larger bench.

The petitions of the PTI were heard by a five-member bench of the LHC, where the petitioners argued that the election of the Punjab CM was not fair.

Amid ruckus, Hamza Shahbaz elected Punjab CM

Hamza was elected as chief minister Punjab in a ruckus marred session of the Punjab Assembly on April 16, 2022.

Ahead of the vote, three PTI members of the Punjab Assembly were arrested for attacking Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari as the party boycotted the session to elect the new chief minister.

Hamza was elected as the new chief minister with 197 votes. While his opponent, Elahi did not receive any votes as his party and PTI had boycotted the polls.