Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to take notice of what he termed as a “blatant violation” of the Constitution and law in Punjab after a federal government notification saw Omar Sarfraz Cheema removed as the province’s governor.
He demanded the top court take “immediate notice of the blatant violation of the Constitution and the law in Punjab”.
Earlier, the federal government issued the notification in the early hours of Tuesday, on the heels of a “strong rejection” of a summary by President Arif Alvi calling for Cheema’s removal from the governor’s office.
“Imported puppets are stirring up constitutional anarchy and chaos in Punjab,” Imran said. “First, a criminal puppet was imposed on the province as a chief minister through a ghost election. Now, keeping all constitutional requirements aside, the office of the president has been insulted.”
He condemned what he termed as an embarrassing attempt to remove the Punjab governor because of his insistence on protecting the Constitution.
The former premier said that the “blatant violation” of the Constitution in Punjab was being watched in silence, therefore, the Supreme Court must take suo motu notice of the situation, given its sensitivity.
Meanwhile, Omer Sarfraz Cheema rejected the Cabinet Division notification for his removal, terming it “unconstitutional”.
In a tweet, Cheema said the president had rejected the summary in light of the “extraordinary” situation, and yet the Cabinet Division’s “unconstitutional” notification was issued.
He added that he was consulting constitutional experts and would soon announce his future course of action.
According to the Constitution, the president can hold a summary sent by the premier for 14 days without a decision. On the expiry of the period, the prime minister may re-endorse his advice in this respect and the president can hold his decision for another 10 days. After this period, the governor will stand removed and the prime minister is authorised to appoint a new governor.
While deadlock on the matter continued, Cheema was removed from office, with a late night notification of the Cabinet Division stating that Cheema has ceased to hold office on the advice of the prime minister sent to the president on April 17 and reinforced on May 1.
The notification added that the Punjab Assembly speaker shall perform the functions of the governor till the appointment of an incumbent, in accordance with the Article 104 of the Constitution.
Punjab AGP demands suo motu action:
Meanwhile, Advocate General Punjab (AGP) Ahmed Awais demanded the country’s top court to take suo motu over the alleged undermining of President Arif Alvi’s authority.
Without naming, AGP Awais also requested “all forces” to come out to protect Pakistan. “If the Supreme Court of Pakistan can take suo motu notice on a holiday, then why could a suo motu not be taken following the ongoing constitutional crises wherein the authority of the president of Pakistan has been undermined,” said AGP Awais.
The Punjab AGP urged the apex court to exercise its authority under Article 184 of the Constitution and come forward to resolve the prevailing circumstances as it is a matter of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Not only the constitution was violated but also the image of the presidential slot was tarnished, he added.
“If the Constitution lives, then Pakistan lives. If there is no Constitution, then its repercussions will prove harmful for the country,” the Punjab AGP warned.
