Parvez Elahi back in the saddle after LHC suspends governor’s notification
LAHORE (MNP) – A larger bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday suspended Governor Balighur Rehman s notification of denotifying Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as Punjab chief minister.
At the outset of hearing Parvez Elahi’s plea against Governor Balighur Rehman’s order of his denotification as the chief minister, the court asked the PTI to submit an undertaking that it would defer the assembly dissolution till the CM obtained a vote of confidence. Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, who heads the five-member bench, inquired whether the PTI would dissolve the assembly if the court annulled governor’s notification removing CM Elahi from the office. “Manzoor Wattoo’s case is a precedent,” he added.
While seeking time from the court to submit undertaking, the lawyer representing the CM argued that if the court reinstated Elahi as the CM, it must order the PTI to halt assembly dissolution.
The judge remarked that how the court could issue such an order, adding the court could consider denying Mr Elahi the relief to function as the acting CM. The court, however, gave an hour s deadline for submission of the undertaking.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) formed a larger bench to hear Parvez Elahi s plea against his denotification as Punjab chief minister by the Punjab governor. After recusal by Justice Farooq Haider, Justice Asim Hafeez was included in the larger bench. Justice Abid Aziz heads the bench that comprises Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, Justice Chauhdry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir.
Mr Elahi, in his petition, argued that the governor had not written any letter to the chief minister, asking him to obtain a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly. It added that the governor was not authorised to summon a session when a current session was under way. A no-confidence motion was already submitted against the chief minister in the Punjab Assembly, it said, adding that Governor Rehman had neglected the Constitution and just followed advice of his lawyers.
