LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the petitioners to amend their petitions against an ordinance promulgated by the Punjab governor relating to the assembly as the government’s lawyer said it had become an Act after being passed by the assembly.

Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi was hearing the petitions filed by the Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Zainab Umar.

Advocate General of Punjab (AGP) Shahzad Shaukat told the court that the ordinance challenged by the petitioners had been passed by the assembly. He said the petitions pending before the court stood infructuous.

At this, the judge asked the petitioners’ counsel to make necessary amendments in the petitions or refile the same.

The counsel sought time and the judge adjourned the hearing till July 28 (today).

The petitions stated the governor, in an arbitrary manner, prorogued the 40th session of the assembly and called 41st session immediately in blatant violation of the Constitution.

It was said this act was also in violation of the oath of different functionaries as stipulated through the 3rd schedule under Article(s) 42, 91(1), 92(2), 53(2), 61, 65, 102, 130(5), 132(2) and 127 of the Constitution.

The petitions argued that the governor promulgated the Punjab Laws (Repealing and Removal of Difficulties) Ordinance 2022 in haste and pursuant to mala fide intention to pass the annual budget by keeping the opposition benches away from the requisite process in an unconstitutional manner.

It was said the Punjab government slashed speaker`s powers through the impugned ordinance.

The petitions asked the court to set aside the ordinance promulgated by the governor for being unconstitutional.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2022