PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz finally sworn in as Punjab CM

LAHORE: Following the orders of the Lahore High Court, PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz finally took oath as 21st Chief Minister of Punjab on Saturday.

He was administered the oath by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on the directives of the LHC as the CM-elect had sought the high court’s intervention on the matter.

Hamza Shahbaz vows to provide relief to people

Soon after taking the oath, CM Hamza Shahbaz vowed to provide relief to the masses. Talking to journalists after the ceremony, Hamza said that they have very little time to meet a lot of challenges left behind by the past government.

It is a collation government, he said, adding that they will make decisions in consensus with the allied parties. Punjab is the biggest province of the country and there are numerous challenges, he said, adding that they wanted to provide relief to the masses.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hamza moved the LHC for the third time on Friday as his oath-taking ceremony was deferred on several grounds despite him being elected with a clear majority of 197 votes from the Punjab Assembly on April 16.

Moreover, just hours before the oath-taking ceremony, Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, in a surprise move, "rejected" the resignation of Usman Buzdar saying Constitutional requirements were not fulfilled.

Hamza drove himself to the Governor House, while PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also accompanied the CM-elect.

 Hamza Shahbaz's profile 

Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, who took oath as the 21st chief minister of Punjab today, is the eldest son of Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan.

The younger Sharif was born on September 6, 1974, in Lahore, as per the website of the Punjab assembly. He graduated from the Government College, Lahore, and then went on to complete his L.L.B from the London School of Economics.

Sharif, officially, began his political career after the military takeover of General Pervaiz Musharraf in the late 90s.

In 2008, he contested for the seat of the Punjab assembly, as an independent candidate, as well as for the national assembly. While he lost the provincial election to Salman Rafique, he became a member of the national assembly from 2008 to 2013 and again from 2013 to 2018.

In 2018, he contested and won one national assembly seat and one from Punjab. He later decided to retain his provincial constituency and gave up the national one.

The same year, Hamza Shehbaz was fielded by the opposition as a candidate for chief minister Punjab, but he lost to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Usman Buzdar and appointed as the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. He is the vice president of his party, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N.

In his 2018 election nomination papers, he declared two wives, Mehrunissah Hamza and Rabia Hamza.