ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced to challenge Lahore High Court’s verdict on Hamza Shebaz’s election in Supreme Court of Pakistan. Meanwhile Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also decided to join the petition.

The high court in its verdict today ordered recounting of votes in election of Hamza Shahbaz as chief minister of the province, excluding the votes of 25 PTI dissidents, while announcing the verdict on the PTI’s pleas challenging Hamza’s election as the chief minister.

According to the verdict, Hamza will continue to hold the office of the chief minister if he retains the majority of votes even after excluding the dissidents’ votes.

Khan questioned how could Hamza remain the chief minister when the court had agreed that the electoral process through which he came into power was “flawed”, he said addressing a seminar in Islamabad.

The former PM said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is going beyond lengths to stop notification of PTI’s members on reserved seats.

Also read: Court annuls election of Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab CM

Speaker Pervaiz Elahi said that only 12 hours have been given for the election, while 11 members of the assembly went for Hajj pilgrimage. Seven members have been out of the country, he said.

“The election commission has sought the high court’s decision for notification of our five members on the reserved seats,” he said.

“We will go to the court and it will take any decision,” he said. “With the Grace of God, we will win in the court,” Pervaiz Elahi hoped.

“The court has appointed its own presiding officer, what is for us in the election,” he said. “Our lawyers and legal experts looking into the matter, which will be raised in the court,” he said.

The session was attended by Barrister Ali Zafar, Moonis Elahi, Raja Basharat, Hussain Jahanian Gardezi and Hafiz Ammar Yasir.

Ali Zafar briefed the participants on the high court’s decision and also pointed out some ambiguous aspects of the court verdict.