Deputy Speaker ruling Hamza retains Punjab CM

After the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari ruled that PML-Q members’ votes were not counted in light of party head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s letter, PML-PTI-backed Q’s candidate Parvez Elahi lost the Punjab chief minister’s election to PML-Hamza N’s Shehbaz on Friday, resulting in a shocking loss. Elahi was supported by the Pakistan Tehreek.

Speaker Ruling

According to Mazari, Hamza won 179 votes, while Elahi garnered 176 votes; however, this was only after 10 votes from Elahi’s own party were not tallied, which flipped the tables in favour of Hamza.

Asad Umar, the head of the PTI, issued a tweet shortly after the announcement of the disputed verdict, stating that the party would approach the Supreme Court tonight.

Mazari eliminates PML-Q votes citing Hussain’s letter

While Mazari was making the announcement, Hussain’s letter was read aloud by Mazari. Mazari reported that Hussain said, “As the party head of the Pakistan Muslim League, I have issued directives to all of my provincial members to cast their votes in favour of Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif,” and he attributed those words to Hussain.

According to this letter, and in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court, each of the ten votes that were cast by PML-Q leaders have been invalidated, as the judge Mazari stated.

There were a total of ten members whose votes were disregarded, and their names are as follows: Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Shuja Nawaz, Muhammad Abdullah Warraich, Parvez Elahi, Muhammad Rizwan, Sajjad Sajid Ahmed Khan, Ehsanullah Chaudhry, Muhammad Afzal, Bismah Chaudhry, and Khadija Umar.

PTI MPA Raja Basharat stated that according to Article 63-A of the Constitution, which describes MPs who defect from their party, the direction of vote lies under the authority of the parliamentary leader. He reasoned this in response to the judgement made by the deputy speaker.

Mazari insisted that the law was “clear” and asserted that the party leader was the only person who was allowed to issue directions. Upon hearing this, Basharat, who was standing there with a copy of the Constitution in his hand, began to read aloud Article 63-A(1) (B).

According to the law, a person is guilty of breaking the law “if they are a member of a Parliamentary Party that is formed of a single political party in a House and they vote or abstain from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the Parliamentary Party.

Mazari argued that the issue had been resolved by the Supreme Court and that it was now clear.

Basharat retorted that Chaudhry Sajid, the leader of the parliamentary party, was responsible for communicating the directives to the party’s members of the parliamentary advisory council. After yesterday’s gathering of the parliamentary party, it was resolved that votes will be cast in favour of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.

“The nature of the candidate as a whole is being disregarded according to your ruling. He explained that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was unable to vote for himself.

Mazari said that he had personally spoken to PML-Q leader Hussain over the phone, and that Hussain had confirmed the authenticity of the letter three times. He has delivered the letter in his capacity as the leader of the party.

He claimed that all he was doing was obeying SC’s orders. “I want you to go read the Supreme Court’s decision on the traitor.”

After that, Mazari went ahead and started reading the judgement out loud. I now declare that the votes cast by Chaudhry Parvez Elahi are invalid and do not count.

Because of this, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has been designated as the return candidate for the position of chief minister as a result of receiving the majority of the votes cast by members who were present and voting.

After that, the deputy speaker put an end to the session by prorogating it.

A meeting between Hussain and Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairperson of the PPP, took place the day before the letter from Hussain was discovered. On the other hand, Hussain had stated at the time that there was “no question” about sending such a letter.

Moonis tweeted that a combined parliamentary gathering of the PML-Q and PTI had “unanimously agreed” upon Parvez as their candidate for the election as news of Hussain’s letter were circulating at the same time.