LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
The governor accepted the resignation of Buzdar after meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad. The resignation was received by the governor on March 30. Usman Buzdar had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 28.
According to a notification, the Governor has summoned a session of the provincial assembly on Saturday, April 2, at 11:00 AM for the election of the next chief minister.
After the acceptance of resignation, the no-confidence motion submitted against Buzdar by joint opposition in the provincial assembly has become ineffective. The provincial cabinet has been dissolved following the resignation.
Prime Minister Imran Khan already nominated Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the candidate for the post of Punjab CM. The joint opposition has not announced its candidate for the slot.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is considered over appointing Hamza Shehbaz as the joint opposition’s candidate for Chief Minister Punjab. The decision was discussed over during an online meeting chaired by the party supremo Nawaz Sharif where a majority of the PML-N leaders supported his candidature.
The beleaguered prime minister was under immense pressure to remove Buzdar as both allies – PML-Q and Tareen group – were adamant to removing the chief minister. Usman Buzdar was elected in 2018 as Punjab chief minister after securing 186 votes.
