By: Asem Mustafa Awan
Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has submitted his affidavit in the court at the request of the Lahore High Court, in which he has promised not to send advice to the governor to dissolve the assembly. The political crisis of the province has turned into a constitutional crisis with the notification issued by the Governor of Punjab late at night. Governor Balighur Rehman de-notified Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and said that he had asked the Chief Minister to take the vote of confidence but the Chief Minister could not take the vote of confidence from the members of the Punjab Assembly on the appointed day and time. It is being told that the cabinet has been dissolved after the de-notification, but Pervaiz Elahi will continue to work until the election of the new chief minister. The governor ordered to seal the secretariat. Advocate General Punjab says that the Governor’s notification has no legal status due to the continuing session of the Assembly. A new larger bench of the Lahore High Court has been constituted to hear the petition filed by the Governor of Punjab against the removal of Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi. Justice Farooq Haider, who was part of the five-member bench constituted earlier, declined to hear Parvez Elahi’s plea, after which the bench was dissolved.
On this occasion, Parvez Elahi’s lawyer requested that the case be fixed for hearing on the same day on which Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh said, “We are also sending your request to the Chief Justice.” Now Justice Asim Hafeez has been included in the new bench in place of Justice Farooq Haider. Late at night, Governor Punjab issued an order to remove Chief Minister Punjab from his post through his Twitter account. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has challenged the decision of Governor Punjab to de-notify himself from the post of Punjab Chief Minister in the Lahore High Court and has taken a stand that it is unconstitutional to de-notify the Chief Minister and the Cabinet for not calling a meeting of the Speaker. In the petition, the Lahore High Court has been requested to declare the Governor’s notification null and void.
The international donors are also reluctant as the political turmoil has made them to wait and see the outcome of what happens in Pakistan. Nearing default and no ray of hope in sight the public has its eyes glued to far horizon for miracle to happen which sadly is also nowhere in sight.
Stock market, exports, price hike, unemployment and like need immediate attention from the government but the priorities at present seem to differ. Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) led government is all out to fix Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf that has governments in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwah, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
This power corridors in capital ooze out and evil aura as with each passing day many commoners die owing to the delay on their part because of disease and hunger.
