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LHC disposes of CM Elahi’s petition after governor withdraws de-notification order

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  • Governor’s lawyer informs LHC of de-notification order’s withdrawal.
  • Punjab chief secretary’s notification declared null and void.
  • CM successful in passing floor test, rules LHC

LAHORE: Following a late-night chaotic session of the Punjab Assembly during which Chief Minister Parvez Elahi managed to secure the lawmakers’ confidence, Governor Baligh Ur Rehman told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that he has taken back his order de-notifying the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmaker as the leader of the house.

Elahi had challenged the governor’s orders last month after he was de-notified as chief minister. However, the LHC restored him when he assured the bench that he will not dissolve the assembly till the next hearing.

A five-member bench headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh — comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, Justice Muzamil Akhtar Shabir, and Justice Asim Hafeez — heard the case.

During today’s hearing, Barrister Ali Zafar, the counsel for the chief minister, informed the bench that his client had taken the vote of confidence. He added that 186 members expressed confidence in Parvez Elahi.

While the governor’s counsel, Mansoor Usman Awan, also confirmed to the bench that the chief minister had taken the vote of confidence.

“Is the governor satisfied with the vote of confidence?” asked Justice Abid.

At this, Awan urged the bench to make the assembly proceedings part of the court’s record.

Turning towards Zafar, Justice Abid asked the CM’s lawyer if he intended further hearing on the petition as Elahi’s floor test was complete.

On this, Zafar agreed that after the vote of confidence the petition had become ineffective but he would like to argue on the governor’s notification as it was a “matter of principle”, adding that the governor should have given reasons to remove the CM and the cabinet.

“Governor’s notification was not legal,” insisted Zafar.

Upon hearing this, Justice Abid remarked that the issue regarding the vote of confidence had been settled but now the bench had to decide whether the governor’s notification was legal or not. 

However, Justice Hafeez remarked that if Zafar was contesting the legality of the governor’s order then the issue would reach a logical end.

Justice Abid agreed with the observation, saying the LHC would have to look into everything.

At this, Barrister Zafar argued that the governor’s de-notification order was illegal, and urged the court to give its finding.

Justice Abid, then remarked that the bench “now has three questions before it,” and added Elahi had taken a vote of confidence on one question.

On the issue of providing sufficient time, Zafar said he would assist the LHC on the matter.

“The third question will be if the session is not held then can the chief minister be sent home for not taking the vote of confidence,” asked Justice Abid. He added that the court can also question the governor’s decision to set a date for a vote of confidence.

The LHC then took a break for 30 minutes. 

When the hearing resumed, the governor’s lawyer requested the bench for more time to take instructions from his client. 

The bench approved the request and adjourned the hearing, once again. 

Following the resumption of the hearing, governor’s lawyer Awan informed the bench that he has spoken to his client and he has confirmed the vote of confidence.

“Governor has taken back the de-notification order,” said the lawyer.

“You have resolved the matter within the assembly this is a good thing. Everything has happened according to the law and constitution,” remarked Justice Abid after hearing the governor’s lawyer. He added that they want minimum court intervention on such matters.

The court also made the lawyer’s statement on the governor’s decision part of the record and ruled that the CM was successful in passing the floor test.

Meanwhile, Justice Hafeez remarked that he would be giving an additional note in the verdict, adding that the bench will not go into the matter of delivering justice in this case.

The bench then disposed of the petition.

Elahi retains Punjab’s top post after ‘high drama’

Early Thursday, CM Elahi won the much-awaited confidence vote in the Punjab Assembly after lawmakers sitting on the treasury benches entrusted their trust in him, with the opposition boycotting the session in protest after tearing up the agenda copies.

The provincial chief executive took the confidence vote after LHC ruled that the governor had the authority to ask the chief minister to seek the trust of the house even during an ongoing session.

The court, had said that the chief minister should have the support of 186 lawmakers — the required number for being elected as the CM — round the clock.

A total of 186 members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) voted in support of Elahi as the chief minister on a resolution moved by Punjab Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Raja Basharat.

The opposition boycotted the session, claiming that the pre-requisite legal requirements were not met and that Governor Rehman’s order of vote of confidence was sub judice.

Elections

Atta Tarar’s triumph over NA-127 in the LHC is contested

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The victory of Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) from Lahore’s NA-127 constituency in the general elections on February 8 has been contested in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Samiullah Khan’s victory from PP-145 has also been contested. The petitions will be heard by Election Tribunal Judge Sultan Tanveer. The petitions have included the Pakistani Election Commission (ECP) and other parties as parties.

In the meantime, Attaullah Tarar stated during a discussion with Miss Zoe Ware, the Political Counselor of the British High Commission, that fake news, misinformation, and disinformation were global issues that needed to be managed.

According to the minister, fake news is the largest issue on social media, and the government is working to address it.

The conference covered a wide range of topics, including the two nations’ relationship and how to foster media collaboration. Collaboration in the drama and cinema industries was also covered.

According to Attaullah Tarar, social media verification should be adopted by journalists, and a global code of conduct for social media usage should be created.

Miss Zoe Ware thanked Attaullah Tarar on taking over as Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on establishing the cabinet.

She was given the assurance that the UK diplomat will work with her to promote bilateral ties between Pakistan and the UK.

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Pakistan

US commitment to resolving Pakistan’s energy crisis is prioritized

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According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Pakistan was assisted by the United States in producing an extra 4,000 megawatts of sustainable energy.

According to him, these kinds of initiatives have given Pakistan more capacity to produce energy, allowing it to power millions of people.

The spokesman restated that both nations will cooperate through the green alliance to address the environmental issues.

At a news briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “Earlier, the United States advised Pakistan to halt the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project, as engaging in business with Iran poses the risk of encountering U.S. sanctions.”

“We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran carries the risk of encountering our sanctions, and we would advise everyone to consider that very carefully,” he continued. “I’m not going to preview any potential sanctions.”

He said, “We do not support this pipeline going forward, as the Assistant Secretary made clear last week.”

The Pakistan-Iran pipeline project was approved for completion a few months ago by the caretaker administration in Pakistan. But after this permission, Pakistan received an official statement from the US expressing its worries. Pakistan again put a stop to the project’s execution when the United States expressed concerns.

Miller said, “We condemn the attack on a convoy of PRC engineers in Pakistan,” in response to a query. Miller also denounced the terrorist attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan. We offer our sincere condolences to all impacted by the incident and are extremely saddened by the deaths and injuries incurred.

He declared, “Terrorists have caused enormous suffering to the Pakistani people, and Chinese nationals living in Pakistan have also been the targets of terrorist strikes.” Such acts of terror should not occur in any nation.

In response to a question concerning a letter from Pakistani judges, the spokesperson stated that while he had seen the letter, he had not yet conferred with his colleagues and would not be making any comments.

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Pakistan

Fazlur Rehman says the government led by Shehbaz won’t be able to deliver

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Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), expressed doubts on Wednesday over the viability of the Shehbaz Sharif administration, stating that he believes the new system will fail if citizens go to the streets.

Fazlur Rehman stated on Wednesday’s “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” segment of Geo News that “the parliament will likely be a rubber stamp.” There are simply too many obstacles for this government to handle. In the end, politicians will be held accountable for all of their shortcomings.”

The “crime is committed by someone else and the politicians take responsibility,” he said, calling it bizarre. The leader of JUI-F declared that his organization will demonstrate against the establishments that had turned the elections into a “game.”


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Fazl has previously said that he would abstain from the by-elections for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. In addition, he declared that on April 25, following Ramadan, he will start a protest campaign against the purported election manipulation from Balochistan.

“We firmly believe that there will be a rigged general election in 2024. And the factor that changed the outcome would be our aim. We reject the findings that led to the formation of this government,” he declared.

The leader of JUI-F stated that they disagreed with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election results.

“[Earlier] the issues with the PTI were ideological and not election-related,” he said.

He stated that the party had not yet made the decision to work with the PTI. He did concede, though, that the Imran Khan-led party’s attitude has changed for the better. He remarked that it was a positive attitude and that it would not be a problem if the two parties moved together.

Fazl also revealed that he told Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, that he thought of him as a new blue-eyed boy during their meeting.

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