Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is supporting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has now said that he is party to the petition filed by the Opposition against the ruling of Pakistan Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi, was the contender to Punjab Chief Minister's post and was the joint candidate of PML-Q and former Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party PTI.
The petition has been filed by Parvez Elahi against the ruling of Pakistan Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari.
Pakistan Supreme Court has summoned Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari for citing Article 63A of the Constitution and not counting the votes of defecting lawmakers as well as electing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz as Punjab Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference, the JUI-F chief said he would move a petition with the Supreme Court to become a party in the case, the Dawn reported.
The coalition government and parties in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Sunday decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) for the formation of a full court bench regarding the election of the Punjab chief minister and the interpretation of Article 63-A.
Echoing the demand of two major parties in the PDM, the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), Rahman also demanded the formation of a full court bench to hear the petition.
Flanked by party leaders, including Akram Khan Durrani and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, he said the party's chief has the final authority to decide the party policy and all other office bearers (lawmakers) have to follow it.
"A party leader directs their parliamentary party even if they are not a member of the house," he said, adding that after the fiasco in the Punjab Assembly, a new discussion has started that only a parliamentary leader has the authority to lead the party in the assembly.
The announcement comes after the Supreme Court announced its verdict over Punjab's by-election.
Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the ruling coalition of Pakistan has decided to file a petition in the Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) for the formation of a full court bench to hear cases related to the interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution.
As per the official statement, the leaders of the government alliance will address a press conference at 10:30 am today.
The leaders will then go to the Supreme court with their lawyers to request the formation of a full court bench that jointly hears cases related to the election of Punjab's chief minister, the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) review petition of the SC's opinion on Article 63-A and other related petitions, the Dawn reported.
The statement said the PPP, PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl will go to the SC, while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Balochistan National Party, Balochistan Awami Party and other allied parties will be among the petitioners as well.
"The lawyers of all the parties will argue in the Supreme Court on Article 63-A of the Constitution," the official statement read.
The Supreme Court must take up a review petition from Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and other petitions jointly, a handout issued by the coalition government said adding that the people are paying for the political instability through inflation, unemployment and poverty, the Dawn reported.
"This is a matter of national and political importance," it read.
This comes amid renewed political turmoil triggered by the contentious Punjab chief minister election.
The political battle between opposition and coalition partners intensified over the controversial Punjab CM poll which saw Hamza Shahbaz retaining the chief minister's post on technical grounds.
According to the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker, Hamza received 179 votes whereas Chaudhry Pervez Elahi garnered 176 votes, but only after 10 votes of Elahi's own party were not counted, which turned the tables in Hamza's favour.
On Elahi's petition, the Supreme Court on Saturday directed that Hamza Shehbaz would remain as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab by July 25, following which Hamza Shehbaz took oath as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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