Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has accepted Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab chief minister until reelection, ARY News reported on Friday.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has summoned Hamza Shahbaz and Speaker of Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi in a plea filed by PTI challenging the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict for the recount of votes for the election of Chief Minister Punjab.
A three-member panel of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, including Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, heard the petition filed by the PTI.
The party’s counsel, Babar Awan, raised concerns about the Election Commission of Pakistan, to which Justice Aijazul Ahsan replied that the code of conduct for the electoral body was in place. The chief justice then ordered that it be followed during the bypolls.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that Hamza Shahbaz was not an elected chief minister and they would embrace him as the acting chief minister. However, the chief justice disagreed with it and said they would use the words which are acceptable to both parties.
Elahi has also requested the court to reschedule the reelection until after the July 17 byelections on 20 PA seats. However, PTI counsel Babar Awan said that PTI does not agree with the proposal advanced by Elahi and was not ready to accept Hamza as chief minister until after July 17.
