CJ LHC Muhammad Ameer Bhatti directs President Alvi to appoint representative to administer oath to Hamza as CM Punjab.

LAHORE -- The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday instructed President Dr. Arif Alvi to appoint a representative in 24 hours to administer oath to Punjab Chief Minister-elect Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif after Governor Punjab Omer Sarfaraz Cheema refused to do so. The court in its order said that the governor Punjab could not refuse to take oath from newly elected chief minister Punjab.

"A copy of the court order should immediately be sent to the president," LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti said. The CJ LHC Muhammad Ameer Bhatti has issued the short order and detailed judgment will be issued later on.

He gave the verbal order after the hearing of a petition filed by Hamza Shahbaz earlier this week. The PML-N leader had contended that he had been elected chief minister on April 16 in a session held on the directions of the LHC but Governor Cheema was refusing to adhere to his constitutional duty by delaying the oath-taking ceremony.

The judge had earlier adjourned the hearing till 2:00 PM on Friday. Before that, he had warned Cheema to take a decision regarding the oath-taking ceremony or else "the court will announce its verdict", asserting that the governor had "no justification" to delay the oath.

Punjab Advocate General Ahmed Owais Advocate argued that he had met the governor on court orders and the two of them discussed some objections over administering oath to Hamza. "In the absence of the governor, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly had the responsibility to administer the oath. "But Hamza hasn't named the speaker as respondent in his petition," he argued.

When the judge asked whether the governor had given any reason for not administering the oath, Owais replied that the governor believed the chief minister's election was against the law and the Constitution. "The governor is not a rubber stamp or post office. The Punjab governor has taken an oath and he has to abide by the Constitution," the advocate general said.

He said he wanted to submit a detailed written response to the court because of the seriousness of the matter.

Justice Bhatti; however, remarked, "If it was so important, you would have prepared for your arguments. You just come to court to take dates." The judge then dismissed the advocate general's request to adjourn the hearing, saying that the governor had to respond.

The LHC chief justice further observed that for the past 21 days, the province had been functioning without a government. "The system has come to...