Islamabad: PTI has approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan to challenge the orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to hold a vote recount on the CM poll held on April 16.
The plea seeks an immediate hearing on the plea, requesting to remove Hamza Shahbaz from Punjab CM’s post and suspend the process of recounting till a decision on this plea.
PTI has maintained in its plea that LHC’s order should be amended and sufficient time be granted to notify all the lawmakers to ensure their presence in the Punjab Assembly session, so that a free and fair election of the Punjab CM can be held.
Referring to the objection raised by LHC’s Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi, PTI sought to quash the notification issued for appointment of Hamza Shahbaz as the CM as he’ll no longer have the majority of votes within the contemplation of Article 130(4) of the Constitution when the PTI dissidents’ votes are excluded.
Accepting the plea for immediate hearing, the SC formed a three-member bench to hear the plea at 1:30pm.
In a 4-1 split decision, the LHC wrapped up PTI’s case against Hamza’s election to the CM’s slot, while ordering to recount the votes cast during the Punjab chief executive’s election but with the exclusion of 25 PTI dissidents’ votes, in line with the apex court’s interpretation of Article 63(A).
Taking to Twitter, PTI leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the party hopes that the SC will take up the plea for immediate hearing and defer the Punjab Assembly session.
