LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday filed two separate intra-court appeals (ICAs) before the Lahore High Court, challenging as many decisions of a single bench regarding oath to Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

The single bench in its April 22 order had ruled that the governor could not refuse oath to a newly-elected chief minister of a province and expected that the president of Pakistan would nominate any person to administer oath to CM-elect Hamza without any delay.

The same bench, in its April 27 order on another petition of Mr Hamza, had advised the Punjab governor to ensure completion of the process of the administration of oath to the CM-elect, either himself or through his nominee within a day.

The ICAs filed by over a dozen PTI MPAs, including Sibtain Khan, assailed both decisions of the single bench.

The appeals moved through Advocate Azhar Siddique mainly argued that the court had no jurisdiction to issue directions to the president of Pakistan and the governor. The appeals also argued that the appellants had not been given an opportunity of hearing by the court, while issuing the impugned orders.

A five-member larger bench will hear on Thursday (today) these appeals along with another one filed by the PTI, challenging another order of a single bench wherein the National Assembly speaker was asked to administer oath to the chief minister.

Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan will head the larger bench with Justice Shahid Jamil Khan, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022