Islamabad, April 27 (Bureau) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday instructed Punjab Governor Omer Sarfaraz Cheema to complete the oath taking process of Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz, either himself or through a nominee, “on or before” April 28 Friday, Dawn reported. The decision was announced in an open court at 10am on a petition filed by Hamza seeking the court’s direction to the Senate chairman to administer him the oath of office. In a three-page verdict, LHC Chief Justice Ameer Bhatti ruled that all provisions of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, suggested prompt formation of governments, both federal and provincial. “For that matter, expeditious administration of oath either by President or by Governor or their nominee, as the case may be, is mandatory,” he said, pointing out that there was no “vacuum” or “space” in the Constitution to delay the administration of oath. Justice Bhatti underscored that Punjab province was without a functional government for the last 25 days since the acceptance of former CM Usman Buzdar’s resignation.
“On the other hand, the oath of the newly elected Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Muhammad Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is being delayed on one pretext or the other, which is not only against democratic norms but also against the scheme of the Constitution,” he observed. Subsequently, the court directed Cheema to “ensure the completion of the process of administration of oath of Chief Minister Punjab, either himself or through his nominee, in terms of Article 255 of the Constitution, on or before 28.04.2022.” It also instructed President Dr Arif Alvi to facilitate the administration of Hamza’s oath and “play his role mandated by the Constitution/Law” by ensuring a functional government in Punjab. Hamza was elected as Punjab’s chief executive on April 16 during a provincial assembly session marred by mayhem and then approached the LHC on April 25 for the second time for its intervention regarding his oath-taking ceremony as the Punjab governor continued to refrain from administering oath to him, questioning the validity of his election, and President Alvi delayed the nomination of another individual to perform the duty, as directed by the high court earlier.