Islamabad, July 23 (UNI) Hamza Shehbaz, the PMLN candidate and the sitting chief minister of Punjab province, won the run-off polls by three votes on Friday, and retained the provincial chief executive slot by defeating the joint candidate of PTI and PMLQ.
Reports said that the political wheeling and dealing by PPP Co-chairman Asif Zadrari and PMLQ President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain — resulting in the latter sending a letter to the party MPAs directing them to vote for Hamza Shehbaz and not Imran Khan’s candidate, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi — ensured that Hamza retained his position.
Chaudhry Shujaat’s letter rendered votes of 10 PMLQ MPAs ineffective and were rejected, in the light of a recent ruling of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in connection with the interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution. The opposition’s candidate, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, had bagged 186 votes, seven votes more than Hamza Shehbaz, who polled 179 votes. Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected PMLQ’s votes in accordance with the SC ruling, which said that votes cast by legislators against the party head’s directions would not be counted and such legislators would also be de-seated.
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