LHC directs president to appoint representative for Punjab CM's oath amid delays

The Lahore High Court (LHC) asked President Arif Alvi on Friday to appoint a different representative to administer oath to newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz after Punjab Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema declined to do so, Aaj News reported.

This comes after the court took up Hamza's plea in which he said that he had been elected Punjab CM on April 16 in a session held on the directions of the LHC, but that his oath-taking ceremony has yet to take place.

Earlier, LHC Chief Justice Ameer Bhatti had asked if Cheema had given a reason for not administering the oath to Hamza. To this, Punjab Advocate General Ahmed Owais replied that Cheema believed the chief minister's election was against the law and the Constitution.

The LHC then gave an ultimatum to the Punjab governor to take a decision regarding the oath.

Hamzan's petition said that Cheema was a worker of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and was bent upon creating a constitutional crisis in the province. It said the illegal and unconstitutional inaction to call upon the chief minister-elect and refusal to administer oath was politically motivated.

Administering oath to Hamza: LHC directs AGP to appear in person today

The petition asked the court to order the governor to administer the oath of the petitioner without further delay. It also asked the court to appoint any other person to administer oath to the petitioner as Chief Minister Punjab.