LAHORE: Set to turn 77 on November 1, Punjab’s new Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, has assumed charge of country’s largest province again after a gap of 14 years, eight months and eight days.
Earlier, Pervaiz Elahi had served as Punjab’s 14th Chief Minister between November 29, 2002 and November 18, 2007 for four years and 354 days.
And now, he will be discharging duties as the 20th provincial chief executive amid what seems a grave political turmoil that has engulfed the country since April 10 this year when the-then Premier Imran Khan was ousted from power.
Pervaiz Elahi remains the only national politician who was appointed country’s Deputy Prime Minister on June 25, 2012 after the-then ruling Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Q had forged a political alliance. He was working as Federal Minister for Defence Production & Industries then. Holding a diploma in industrial management from London’s Watford College of Technology, Pervaiz Ellahi functioned in this office till March 16, 2013.
His political career is 39-year-old. He was elected chairman of Gujrat district council for four years in 1983.
While Shehbaz Sharif has the longest tenure as Punjab Chief Minister, spanning over 11 years, Sardar Dost Khan Khosa has had the shortest stint (58 days) in this office.
There was no chief minister in Punjab from 1955 to 1970 since this post abolished following the establishment of One-Unit in Pakistan, which was a geo-political programme launched on November 22, 1954 by the-then Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra to overcome the difficulty of administering the two unequal polities of West and East Pakistan that were separated from each other by more than 1000 miles.
From July 1, 1970 to May 2, 1972, July 5, 1977 to April 9, 1985 and from October 12, 1999 to November 23, 2002, there was no chief minister in Punjab due to military rules in Pakistan.
The first-ever Punjab Chief Minister Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot had served for one year and 163 days before governor’s rule was imposed in the province from January 25, 1949 to April 5, 1951. Three more Punjab chief ministers had taken oath after the governor’s rule. With their respective tenure durations in brackets, these three chief ministers included:
Mian Mumtaz Daultana (1 year, 353 days), Malik Feroze Khan Noon (2 years, 48 days) and Sardar Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti (146 days). The post was again abolished between October 14, 1955 to June 30, 1970) due to July 1, 1970 to May 2, 1972 martial law.
Then came following chief ministers:
Malik Meraj Khalid (1 year, 194 days), Ghulam Mustafa Khar (123 days), Hanif Ramay (1 year, 122 days) and Nawab Sadiq Hussain Qureshi (1 year, 355 days). At this stage, martial law was imposed for a period lasting between July 5, 1977 and April 9, 1985. The post-martial law chief ministers included:
Nawaz Sharif (5 years, 119 days), Ghulam Hyder Wyne (2 years, 262 days), Manzoor Wattoo (first tenure of 84 days), Sheikh Manzoor Ellahi (94 days), Manzoor Wattoo (second tenure of 1 year, 328 days), Sardar Arif Nakai (1 year, 51 days), Afzal Hayat (caretaker for 96 days) and Shehbaz Sharif (2 years, 234 days).
In the middle of chief minister Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure, governor’s rule was imposed in Punjab from October 12, 1999 to November 23, 2002).
Then there were Pervaiz Elahi (4 years and 354 days), Sheikh Ejaz Nisar (145 days), Dost Mohammad Khosa (58 days) and Shehbaz Sharif (262 days).
Shehbaz’s second tenure as head of government in Punjab was again interrupted by another governor’s rule that lasted between February 25, 2009 and March 30, 2009.
Overall, Shehbaz Sharif had called shots for 3 years and 361 days during his second tenure.
He was succeeded by Caretaker CM Najam Sethi (73 days). This is when 2008 elections were held and Shehbaz won keys to this office for the third time to rule for five complete years.
Hassan Askari held the reins of Punjab for 73 days as caretaker chief minister in 2018 and PTI’s Usman Buzdar was brought in to rule for three years and 253 days till April 30, 2022.
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