Committee constituted to pick caretaker Punjab CM

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan on Thursday informed that a bi-partisan parliamentary committee to finalise the names for the caretaker Punjab chief minister (CM).

The decision came as CM Parvez Elahi and Leader of the Opposition Hamza Shehbaz could not reach a consensus over a name for the top slot.

According to the notification, the parliamentary committee includes Mian Aslam Iqbal, Raja Bisharat, and Hashim Juwan from the treasury benches, while Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Hassan Murtaza and Nadeem Kamran will represent the opposition.

The names for the committee were suggested by CM Elahi and Hamza Shehbaz, the notification read.

As per law, the committee has three days to reach an accord over a name for the top spot in Punjab. In case of disagreement, the matter will be decided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had proposed Adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment Ahad Cheema and senior journalist Mohsin Naqvi's names for the top slot.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) nominated Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera, Naseer Ahmed Khan, and Nasir Mahmood Khosa for interim chief minister.

Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman had on Tuesday directed the PA speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee to select a caretaker chief minister after the CM and the opposition leader failed to reach an agreement.

“Consequent to the fact that the chef minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Provincial Assembly of Punjab have not agreed on any person to be appointed as the caretaker chief minister within the stipulated time-frame in terms of Article 224(1A) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, you are hereby required to fulfil your obligation in the manner prescribed in Article 224A(2) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, under intimation to the undersigned,” the summary reads.