LHC rejects plea to hold elections before April 16

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Wednesday ordered Punjab Assembly deputy speaker to conduct election for Punjab chief minister's office on April 16, rejecting the plea to hold the election for before April 16.

Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti announced the decision today after he had reserved the verdict on petitions filed for holding the election of the Punjab chief minister a day earlier.

PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz — a contender for the CM's post — had filed a plea in the LHC for holding early elections, while Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari had moved the court for the revocation of the deputy speaker's powers.

Rejecting Hamza's plea, LHC CJ Bhatti asked the deputy speaker to hold the polls on April 16 and ordered all parties to perform their roles impartially.

The top judge of the LHC said all the personnel of the Punjab Assembly will work to ensure the election takes place on time, while the repair works should be completed before 11am on the polling day.

The CM's office has been vacant for nearly two weeks since ex-governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar — who was removed from his position last week — accepted Usman Buzdar's resignation on April 1.

The divide within the PTI has also widened after the deputy speaker had summoned the session for the CM's election on April 6 instead of April 16 — a move that drew his party's ire, following which they filed a no-confidence motion against him.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had nominated Speaker of Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi for chief minister, but since there is a divide within PTI on the decision, he is expected to face a tough competition with the Opposition recently showing that it has the numbers to win the polls.

In a symbolic session of the provincial assembly, the Opposition elected PML-N leader Hamza as the chief minister after the speaker sealed off the Punjab Assembly — following Mazari's decision to call the session without consulting his party and Elahi.

Members from the PML-N, PPP, PTI's Jahangir Khan Tareen and Abdul Aleem Khan groups attended the session, with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also present.

PML-N leader and MPA Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan had claimed that more than 200 MPAs were present at the hotel for the session.