The Supreme Court on Thursday was asked to restrain Shahbaz Sharif from exercising the chief minister’s constitutional power to dissolve the Provincial Assembly. The court was informed that the Punjab Assembly had already amended rules for the election of chief minister in preparation for the court’s decision on the appeal against the chief minister.
Applicant Shahid Orakzai cautioned that the dissolution of the assembly would leave his appeal pending for more than four years, deem it ineffective and deprive him of his financial rights and costs on litigation.A full bench of the court requested the chief justice to constitute a larger bench to hear the appeal that challenged the chief minister’s dual-membership of the Punjab Assembly. In 2008, Shahbaz had been elected unopposed from two constituencies in Bhakkar and Rawalpindi.
