LAHORE - The PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday said his party would move the Lahore High Court to challenge the election of Hamza Shehbaz Sharif following the Supreme Court’s ruling about the defectors whose votes should not be counted. Talking to media in Lahore, he said that a quo-warranto petition will be filed with the LHC today, seeking removal of
Hamza Shahbaz as the provincial chief executive and re-election for the top office.Fawad maintained that Hamza was illegally occupying the provincial office after losing majority in the Punjab Assembly. The PTI leader hoped that the court would take up the petition and conduct its hearing on a day-to-day basis. “We all know the courts are open 24 hours,” he said in a tongue in cheek remark. Fawad said the Punjab Assembly Speaker could have issued a notification declaring the CM’s election null and void, but the party decided to adopt a legal course to remove an illegal Chief Minister. Talking about the tenure of a future government in Punjab, he said; “Whoever is elected the next Chief Minister, we will have to move towards the dissolution of the assembly.” Fawad also said the President could also ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly as his government now did not have the required strength of 172 votes to remain in power.
Hamza illegally occupying provincial office after loosing majority in PA, says Fawad
Fawad Ch also reiterated his party’s demand for holding early elections which he said was the only solution to the current political crisis. To a question, he said was not sure if the establishment was pressing the government to hold early elections.
Earlier, the PTI chief Imran Khan held a consultative meeting with senior party leaders at his Zaman Park residence in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling about the party defectors. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umer, Fawad Ch, Senator Ali Zafar, Usman Buzdar and provincial leaders were in attendance.
The meeting decided to utilise all legal and constitutional options to remove
Hamza Shahbaz Sharif as the Chief Minister. It was was decided in this meeting to move the LHC to challenge Hamza Shahbaz’s election in the light of SC’s ruling. Before this huddle, PTI legislators including Sibtain Khan, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and Murad Raas had a meeting with Speaker Punjab Assembly Ch Parvez Elahi and discussed the current political situation.