LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal Wednesday judgment on the disqualification reference against Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif after hearing both parties. The decision is expected to be announced until February 19, 2017. Strangely, the hearing in the reference was completed at the speaker’s chamber away from the prying eyes of media in a bid to avoid queries regarding the stance of the Chief Minister’s Office. The speaker’s office just released a handout in which it was declared that the hearing had been completed and the decision would be announced within the constitutional timeframe of 30 days after the filing of the reference. According to the handout, Mustafa Ramday, son of Justice (r) Khalilur Rehman Ramday, accompanied by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Monday appeared before the speaker and presented their arguments. It said that the chief minister was also advised to appear himself or through a lawyer on February 14, but he could not appear owing to the mourning for Lahore blast victims. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators, including Opposition Leader in the House Mian Mehmoodur Rehman, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Dr Nosheen Hamid, Nabila Hakim Ali and Dr Murad Rass, were left scratching their heads when media persons were not allowed to witness hearing in the reference against the CM. Talking to Daily Times, they expressed the hope that the custodian of the House would remain impartial in his decision. They said that the speaker should send the disqualification reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). To a query, they said that the government could not save the skin of the chief minister in the reference by making a plea that the matter was sub judiced. When asked what would be the strategy of the opposition if the decision comes in favour of the chief minister, they avoided to make any comment, saying: “Wait and see”. Earlier, more than half dozen reference against several legislators, including former chief ministers Manzoor Wattoo and Ch Pervaiz Elahi were tabled in the Punjab Assembly, but all of them had been buried with the passage of time.