SC Resumes Punjab CM Case Hearing Today.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court of Pakistan will today resume hearing in a petition moved by Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, a candidate for the CM's office, against the ruling of Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari over the fate of PML-Q votes.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar will conduct hearing of the petition challenging Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari's ruling wherein he had rejected 10 votes of PML-Q members relying upon the Supreme Court ruling that votes of those lawmakers, who defy party leadership's instructions, would not be counted.

Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid Chaudhry Shujat Hussain will likely to appear before the Supreme Court today in connection with the petition filed by Chaudhry Parvez Ellahi against the ruling of Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker.

On the last hearing on Saturday, the apex court had provisionally allowed Hamza Shehbaz to continue as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab with limited powers, as it observed that the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker regarding rejection of votes of all Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmakers in the run-off election for the CM was prima facie in violation of the court's judgment and Article 63-A of the Constitution.

Justice Bandial observed that the views expressed by Dost Mazari, while giving the ruling, did not pinpoint to the exact observation made by the SC in its judgment. He further observed that the issue more likely seemed to be a controversy regarding the proper understanding or comprehension of the statement of law in the judgment rather than an interpretation of a constitutional provision.

The bench also issued notices to the chief minister, Punjab advocate general and an additional attorney general, as it was told that Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Asuaf Ali was out of the country. Advocate Irfan Qadir had appeared on behalf of the deputy speaker and argued that Mazari might have understood that the leader of a political party was considered its parliamentary leader as well.

However, the bench observed that the deputy speaker was apparently mistaken in his understanding. Justice Ijaz noted that according to democratic traditions, a parliamentary leader of a party decided as to who should be supported in an...