LAHORE, June 23: The Lahore High Court has been moved to direct the Punjab Assembly speaker to disallow Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to enter the provincial assembly because he had ceased to be the chief minister.

Petitioner Shahid Orakzai said according to Article 223 (4) Shahbaz Sharif had lost the right to retain PP-48 Bhakar seat after being declared the successful candidate from PP-10, Rawalpindi.

He added the Article 223 says "if a member of either House or of a Provincial Assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat which, in accordance with clause (1), he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat."

Mr Shahbaz was declared a returned candidate after a full bench of the LHC disqualified Mr Orakzai as a candidate from the same constituency. Earlier, 28 candidates had withdrawn from PP-10.—Reporter