LHC orders recount of votes in Hamza Shahbaz's election as Punjab CM

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered recount of votes in  election of Hamza Shahbaz as chief minister of Punjab, in a landmark verdict, ARY News reported.

A five-member larger bench of the high court, headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, approved petitions against the incumbent chief minister, PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz.

The bench has decided the case with 4-1 on the petitions challenging the election of Hamza on April 16. Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi dissented the majority verdict.

The high court has asked Governor Punjab to summon a session of Punjab Assembly on July 1st (Friday). “The assembly members votes recounted minus 25 defecting members,” the court ordered.

“Hamza Shahbaz’s decisions as chief minister will not be void,” the court further declared.

Justice Sethi in his note of dissent wrote that the April 30 notification of Hamza Shehbaz’s election being declared void and Usman Buzdar being restored as the chief minister of Punjab, he should take the charge of the office forthwith.

Hamza Shehbaz has summoned a meeting to discuss the legal and constitutional aspects of the Lahore High Court verdict. Senior PML-N leaders are expected to attend the meeting.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also summoned an emergency meeting over the high court’s decision.

The bench was hearing appeals of the PTI, PML-Q and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi against different single-bench decisions regarding the election and oath-taking of CM Hamza.