'Judicial coup': PML-N's Maryam Nawaz after Pak top court instals Pervez Elahi as Punjab CM

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 26 (ANI): Shortly after the Supreme Court's verdict to place Pervez Elahi as Punjab's Chief Minister while removing Hamza Shahbaz from the province's top office on Tuesday, Pakistan's coalition government, including PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, strongly reacted to the apex court's order.
Pakistan's top court declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari's ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of the province.
It also declared all the appointments made by Hamza "illegal", the Dawn newspaper reported.
The court also ordered Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman to administer the oath to Elahi at 11:30 pm (local time), adding that if he refuses to perform his duties, President Arif Alvi will administer the oath.
"Judicial coup," PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said in a tweet after the court order.
Hamza Shahbaz from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) last week won the election in the provincial assembly to retain his position as the chief minister of Punjab province, after provincial assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari decided not to count the votes of PML-Q lawmakers.
Shahbaz, son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, secured 179 votes against 176 votes received by Pervaiz Elahi, a joint candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of former prime minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML).
Elahi had received 186 votes, including 176 from PTI and 10 from the PML, but the deputy speaker excluded the 10 votes of the PML after its chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wrote a letter to his party members not to vote for Elahi.
The election was held on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan after the PTI filed a petition in the apex court, saying that Shahbaz has lost the majority in the house.
Hamza Shahbaz later filed a petition in Pakistan's top court to constitute a full court on the issue of the election of a CM for Punjab.
Earlier on April 16, Shahbaz was elected as the new chief minister of Punjab with 197 votes, including 25 dissidents of the PTI. On May 20, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-seated 25 dissident members of the provincial assembly of the PTI for voting Shahbaz in the election against the orders of the party leadership.
Later the ECP allocated five reserved seats to the PTI and announced by-elections on the remaining 20 seats on July 17. The PTI won 15 seats while PML-N got four seats and an independent candidate also won the election.
Member of the PML Basharat Raja objected to the deputy speaker's decision to exclude votes, saying that it is against the constitution of the country because only a leader in the assembly can pass such orders to its members while Hussain is not the party leader in the house. (ANI)