LAHORE, Dec 23 (FD): Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against an order issued by Governor Balighur Rehman to de-notify him as the Punjab chief minister.
Mr Elahi, in his petition, argued that the governor had not written any letter to the chief minister, asking him to obtain a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly. It added that the governor did not authorise to summon a session when a current session is underway.
A no-confidence motion was already submitted against the chief minister in the Punjab Assembly, it said, adding that Governor Rehman had neglected the Constitution and just followed advice of his lawyers.
The governor has no authority to de-notify the chief minister through a unconstitutional order, Mr Elahi argued while pleading the high court to declare the order null and void.
Governor Rehman de-notified Chief Minister Parvez Elahi on late Thursday night, stating that it was believed the CM did not have the confidence of the majority of the members of the assembly.
The notification further stated that the Punjab cabinet has been dissolved. Parvez Elahi will continue to hold office until the election of the new leader of the House, it said
“Consequent to the facts that Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, Chief Minister Punjab refrained from obtaining vote of confidence at 1600 hrs yesterday, in line with an Order under Article 130(7) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan issued under my hand on 19t December 2022, in line with Rule 22(7) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997, and that he still has not done so even after the lapse of another twenty four hours, I am satisfied that he does not command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Punjab Assembly, and therefore ceases to hold his office with immediate effect,” reads the notification.
Reacting to the Baligh-ur-Rehman’s tweet, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Punjab Governor s notification of de-notification to the Chief Minister has no legal status.
He said that Parvez Elahi and the provincial cabinet will continue to perform their duties. The PTI leader went on to say that a reference will be sent to the president against the Governor and the action to remove him from office has been initiated.
