LHC nullifies election of Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab CM

LAHORE (92 News) - The Lahore High Court (LHC) nullified the election of Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister of Punjab, accepting the applications of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The five-member larger bench announced the verdict with 4-1.

The court ordered to recount the members after removing 25 estranged members of the PTI. It ruled that re-polling will be held if no one gets a majority under the Article 130 (IV).

The court declared that the order for re-election will be against the verdict of the Supreme Court. It ordered to ensure the oath-taking of the new chief minister after completing the election. Punjab Governor Baleeghur Rahman will call a session of the Punjab Assembly on July 1.

In the Punjab Assembly, the PML-N and its allies have 176 members while the PTI and its allies enjoy the support of 168 members. After the issuance of the notification regarding the reserved seats, the number of PTI members will increase to 173. In the present situation, the PML-N will have a majority of three votes.