Pakistan court hands power to ousted premier Khan's ally in key province
Gulf Times
Imran Khan (left) and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
Pakistan’s top court on Tuesday ruled to hand control of the country's most populous province, Punjab, to a candidate backed by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, triggering fresh political uncertainty in the South Asian nation amidst a crippling economic crisis.
The move ramps up pressure on the federal government, made up of a coalition of parties that ousted Khan from premiership in April, as it attempts to implement tough, and unpopular, economic reforms to stave off a financial crisis.
In a short order, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that a Khan-backed candidate for Punjab's chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, had been wrongfully denied victory in a vote last week, and ordered he be installed as the province's premier before midnight on Tuesday.
Elahi had been denied victory by the speaker of the Punjab assembly, who disregarded votes caste in his favour on the basis of them being against party line and handed victory to the candidate of the ruling coalition.
