Parvez Elahi sworn in as Pak Punjab's new CM

ISLAMABAD: Chaudhry Parvez Elahi took oath as the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab on Wednesday, hours after the Supreme Court dealt a big blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition by striking down the deputy speaker's ruling and named the PML-Q leader as the new executive head of the country's most crucial political province.

In the widely anticipated judgement on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Elahi, the apex court on Tuesday declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari's controversial decision to reject 10 votes in the Punjab chief minister's election as illegal. The three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar ruled that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidate Elahi will be the new chief minister of Punjab, paving the way for a change in the country's most populous province and political heartland.

The apex court's verdict delivered a big blow to the Sharif-led coalition government as it saw Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Hamza Shehbaz, son of the prime minister, lost his status of the "trustee" chief minister.

The three-member bench ordered Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman to administer the oath to Elahi. However, Rehman refused to perform his duties. Following Governor Rehman's refusal, Elahi left for Islamabad late Tuesday night to take oath from President of Pakistan Arif Alvi as per the Supreme Court's order. Alvi administered the oath to Elahi, 76, at the Aiwan-e-Sadar early Wednesday morning.