The Supreme Court on Friday decided to give a ruling on the removal of seven members of the Punjab cabinet for their affiliation with the Pakistan People’s Party. Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz and his six cabinet colleagues, including ex-finance minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, were sacked in March 2011 by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif without citing any reason. The CM’s advice was placed before the apex court with the question whether a minister could be removed merely on the basis of party affiliation. The appeal in the Supreme Court was filed in March 2011. The court on Friday rejected the stance of the Punjab assistant advocate general and observed that the appellant was an aggrieved person in the eyes of the constitution. Justice Jawad S Khawaja observed that the action of the chief minister could affect the general public and could be challenged.
