PTI, PML-Q move SC against deputy speaker ruling

The leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker that paved the way for Hamza Shahbaz to retain his post of the chief minister of the province.

The PTI and PML-Q leaders reached the SC's Lahore Registry late Friday and filed a petition against the ruling of Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari.

In Friday's dramatic session of the Punjab Assembly, Mazari announced the win for Hamza Shahbaz. After waving a letter from PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who disallowed the party's members to take part in the vote, he cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected ten votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers.

The deputy speaker's ruling frustrated the bid of Pervez Elahi to become the Punjab CM. He was the PTI's candidate for the chief ministership. Having bagged 186 votes against Hamza's 179, Elahi lost the contest as his own party's ten votes were declared invalid.

Challenging the deputy speaker's ruling, PTI leader Raja Basharat said Shujaat is not authorised to take such a decision for his party under Article 63A as Sajid Bhatti is PML-Q's parliamentary leader.

Following the election, the PTI's and PML-Q's parliamentary parties discussed Mazari’s ruling and decided to challenge it in court the same day. Later, they reached the apex court's Lahore registry and submitted their petition.

Earlier, Deputy registrar SC Lahore registry Ijaz Goraya reached the court and received their  application.