Pakistan: Hamza Shehbaz takes oath as Punjab CM

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 23 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz on Saturday took oath as Punjab Chief Minister, following the political drama that saw Parvez Elahi's defeat after provincial assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari decided not to count the votes of PML-Q lawmakers.
Shehbaz, clad in a black sherwani, was administered oath today by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Punjab, the Dawn newspaper reported.
This is the second time that Hamza defeated Elahi in the contest for the Punjab CM. Back in April, his oath-taking had been delayed for days with then then-governor, Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, refusing to administer the oath to him.
Earlier, PML-N's Shahbaz was re-elected as the chief minister of Punjab after the votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were rejected by the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker.
On Friday, Pervaiz Elahi - joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q - received 186 votes, while Hamza Shahbaz got 179 votes. However, 10 votes of PML-Q were cancelled by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, hence taking the figure to 176.
Following the counting of votes, the deputy speaker, citing Article 63A of the Constitution, rejected ten votes cast by the PML-Q members. As a result, Hamza received 179 votes, while Elahi managed to bag 176 votes.
After the election, PTI's and PML-Q's parliamentary parties held a meeting and deliberated on Mazari's ruling. Later, they reached the apex court's Lahore registry to submit the petition, reported Geo News.
Meanwhile, Deputy registrar SC Lahore registry Ijaz Goraya also reached the court and received the PTI petition.
"I have come here to accept the PTI petition," he said while talking to Geo News.
While talking to media outside the SC's Lahore registry building, PTI leader Yasmeen Rashid said that "186 members of Punjab assembly are present here, therefore I request that court is opened immediately."
Former Pakistan prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has called for protests tonight against the outcomes of the Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shahbaz's 'surprising' victory in Punjab.
He was surprised by the happenings in the Punjab Assembly today. "Everyone is now looking to the Supreme Court (SC). Parliament has the power of morality, not the army, democracy is based on morality."
"These people are mafias, not politicians. I am surprised after witnessing what happened in the Punjab Assembly today despite the clear direction of Article 63A which defines the enforcement of the parliamentary party's decision. PTI had also sent the letter against the 25 turncoats through the parliamentary leader," said Imran Khan. (ANI)