LAHORE – Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Governor Balighur Rehman’s de-notification from chief minister’s office.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman’s notification to denotify him as chief minister.
In the petition, Parvez Elahi appealed to the court to declare the governor’s notification illegal.
It informs the court that the Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan was asked to summon a session for vote of confidence. It added that the speaker did not summon the session as one was already underway.
“No action can be taken against any chief minister over speaker’s actions,” maintains the petition.
The PTI and PML-Q had already announced approaching the court over the governor’s move.
In a late-night notification, Rehman removed Elahi as chief minister for not taking the vote of confidence.
“Since CM has refrained from obtaining vote of confidence at the appointed day and time therefore he ceases to hold office. Orders issued this evening,” Rehman wrote on his Twitter handle, sharing a copy of the notification.
Following this, an emergency consultative meeting was called at Elahi’s residence, where PML-Q and PTI mulled over their next move.
Speaker Punjab Assembly Sibtain Khan, after the meeting, told journalists that the chief minister would move the court first thing in the morning and that the governor resorted to an “illegal” move.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry rejected the notification and said that the governor had no authority to remove the chief minister.
The Constitution of Pakistan doesn’t acknowledge the governor’s notification, the PTI leader said. He added that the provincial assembly elects a chief minister and only it could remove him.
گورنر پنجاب کا وزیر اعلیٰ کو ڈی نوٹیفیکیشن کرنے کے نوٹیفکیشن کی کوئ قانونی حیثئت نہیں، پرویز الہیٰ اور صوبائ کابینہ بدستور اپنے فرائض سر انجام دیتی رہے گی، گورنر کے خلاف ریفرینس صدر کو بھیجا جائیگا اور ان کو عہدے سے ہٹانے کی کاروائ کا آغاز کیا جا رہا ہے https://t.co/ieD3XtAVCv
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) December 22, 2022
Fawad noted the chief minister never said he wouldn’t take a vote of confidence — the one ordered by the governor. Elahi will take the vote of confidence only when the speaker convenes the assembly session, he explained.
A session of the provincial assembly will be held as usual today and Elahi will take the vote of confidence, the PTI leader said.
The PML-N should have completed its number in the assembly session, he said, adding there is no room for the governor’s notification in the Constitution.
The governor has been found guilty of misconduct because he violated the Constitution, according to Fawad, who added that President Dr Arif Alvi would be approached to remove the governor from office.
The PTI leader said the speaker would send a reference to the president to remove the governor from his office.
Punjab Governor denotifies Chief Minister Parvez Elahi for not taking vote of confidence
