Punjab governor revokes Elahi's de-notification order, LHC told.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) was told on Thursday that Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman had retracted orders to de-notify Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the provincial chief executive after he managed to secure the confidence of 186 members in the Punjab Assembly (PA).

The revelation was made as a five-member bench took up a petition filed by the CM challenging Rehman's de-notification order.

Last month, the Punjab governor denotified Elahi as the chief minister of the largest province in a bid to forestall ousted premier Imran Khan's plan to dissolve the Punjab Assembly.

In his order dated Dec 22, the governor had said that since the chief minister had refrained from taking a vote of confidence at the appoAiAnted day and time, he ceased to hold office. Rehman, however, had asked Elahi to continue working as chief minister until a successor takes charge.

Subsequently, Elahi approached the court, saying the move was 'unconstitutional, unlawful and of no legal effect'.

On Dec 23, the LHC had reinstated the PML-Q leader as the chief minister and restored the provincial cabinet as an 'interim relief' after he submitted an undertaking assuring the court that he would not dissolve the provincial assembly until the next hearing (Jan 11).

On Wednesday, the court had remarked that a chief minister should have perpetual support from the majority of lawmakers in the house and had allowed Elahi to remain CM for one more day.

During the hearing today, Governor Rehman's lawyer Mansoor Awan told the bench that his counsel had revoked the Dec 22 notification. 'He has received the report of the vote of confidence and has no objections to it,' he said.

Subsequently, the court remarked that with the governor's decision, the crisis in Punjab was now resolved.

'You solved the matter in assembly [...] courts should not be involved in political matters unnecessarily,' it added and disposed of Elahi's petition.

Later, the governor also confirmed the development in a tweet.

'Next step is assembly dissolution'

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Elahi's lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar said that after the court's verdict, the PML-Q leader was now restored as the CM.

'The next step is dissolution which is a political matter and it has nothing to do with the court. Political leadership will decide on it,' he said.

Zafar clarified that the undertaking signed by Elahi previously, in which he had assured the court that he won't dissolve the Punjab Assembly, was an 'interim order'.

'The case has finally been decided and the undertaking is no more in place. The Constitution clearly says that the CM has the right to dissolve the...