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SC restores Shahbaz govt

* Five-member bench suspends Feb 25 verdict
* Directs Nawaz to file concise statement about his conviction during Musharraf regime
* Hearing adjourned until second week of May

By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: A five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court restored Shahbaz Sharif as the chief minister of Punjab on Tuesday, suspending the February 25 verdict that had disqualified the Sharif brothers from electoral politics.

“We direct that till the final disposal of the main petition under review, the operation of February 25, 2009 order of the Supreme Court shall remain suspended and the petitioner shall assume the office of the chief minister with immediate effect,” the short order announced by the court said.

The court noted that the Lahore High Court had not passed any order to stop Shahbaz from continuing as the chief minister and held that the circumstances after the lifting of governor’s rule in Punjab and a the provincial assembly session on April 1 to possibly elect the new chief minister would change the complexion of the case. The court noted that it could not remain oblivious to the inconvenience and irreparable loss likely to accrue to the petitioner, adding that the attorney general did not disperse the apprehension in the case.

The larger bench consisted of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Muhammad Moosa K Leghari, Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali and Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed.

Adjourns hearing: The court also asked Nawaz’s lawyer Abid Hasan Manto to file a concise statement about his client’s conviction during the regime of former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and adjourned hearing on the review petitions until second week of May.

A large number of PML-N leaders and workers gathered outside the Supreme Court and chanted slogans to celebrate Shabaz’s restoration. masood rehman/daily times monitor

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