In July 2022, the Supreme Court of Pakistan allowed Hamza Shehbaz to continue temporarily as Punjab chief minister in a trustee capacity while it considered a challenge to the provincial chief minister election.

Supreme Court hearing

The case followed the July 22, 2022 Punjab chief minister election. Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected 10 votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers for Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, after which Hamza Shehbaz was declared the winner.

Parvez Elahi challenged the deputy speaker’s ruling in the Supreme Court. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial heard the case. Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar were the other members of the bench.

Hamza allowed to continue temporarily

During the proceedings on July 23, the Supreme Court allowed Hamza Shehbaz to continue as a trustee chief minister until the case was decided. The court restricted him from taking major policy decisions or actions that could provide him with a political advantage while the dispute remained before the court.

The arrangement was temporary and should not be confused with a fresh election or a permanent restoration of Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister.

Background to the dispute

Earlier, on July 1, 2022, the Supreme Court had ordered that a fresh election for Punjab chief minister be held on July 22 and allowed Hamza Shehbaz to continue in office until that election.

The July 22 contest produced another legal dispute after the deputy speaker excluded the PML-Q votes for Parvez Elahi. The Supreme Court proceedings therefore focused on the legality of that ruling.

Supreme Court later set aside the ruling

On July 26, 2022, the Supreme Court set aside the deputy speaker’s ruling and declared Parvez Elahi the duly elected chief minister of Punjab. The temporary arrangement under which Hamza Shehbaz had continued as trustee chief minister consequently ended.

This article describes the July 2022 proceedings as a historical event and does not describe the current leadership of Punjab.