LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Fawad Chaudhry has said that Hamza Shehbaz’s government is unconstitutional. “The way this case (pertaining to Hamza Sharif’s election as Punjab Chief Minister) is being handled, it seems that there is no hurry in completing it.”

While talking to the media outside the Lahore High Court on Wednesday, he further said that Hamza Shahbaz had become the Chief Minister with 25 votes of turncoats. “These votes lost validity after the Supreme Court’s interpretation, which had already ruled on the matter. The high court has no jurisdiction to review the decision of the Supreme Court. This is a simple point, the debate is continuing over it. Punjab is in crisis because of which Pakistan is in crisis,” he added.

He pointed out that under the Supreme Court’s decision, the said votes could not be counted; “hence, Hamza Shahbaz should either get a vote of confidence or hold a re-election.”

He averred that let the courts decide the case as per the law and justice and not by listening to the arguments of PTI or PML-N. “Courts should not open all night for one party or decisions should be made to please others,” he added. On reserved seats, he said if a legislator from the reserved seat is disqualified then the second runner-up will be selected for the empty slot, adding that the National Assembly Speaker does not have the power to review the resignations tendered by the PTI legislators. “We have resigned and thus what is the point for our members to see the Speaker,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022