LHC nominates NA speaker for administering oath to Hamza

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 03 Jan 2023

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has nominated National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to administer the oath to Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shahbaz Sharif after hearing the third petition from him on the issue.

The chief minister-elect approached the court on Friday to seek the administration of oath to him by “a person nominated by the court” as, he said, President Alvi and Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema had adopted a “defiant attitude” in response to earlier court orders.

Justice Jawad Hassan, who heart the petition, remarked that it had now become a question of the judiciary’s honor.

He said that no one should have the courage to defy court orders.

However, the judge also said that he would rule in accordance with the law and constitution.

The court then adjourn for Friday prayers and resumed at around 7pm.

Issuing a nine-page ruling after concluding the hearing nearly 9pm, the judge ordered NA speaker to administer the oath to Hamza at 11:30am Saturday.

The court ruled that it was granting the pleas sought in the new petition and endorsing the earlier tow verdicts by the court.

The NA speaker was nominate for the oath in view of the earlier two rulings, it said.