ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi has informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Omar Sarfraz Cheema still holds the office of Governor Punjab and has asked him to reconsider his advice about the appointment of a new governor.
According to a statement released by the President House Saturday, the president referred to the May 9 communication to the prime minister that “the governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the president.”
“Referring to President’s Secretariat’s earlier communication, dated May 09, 2022, the President reiterated that “the Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”, as envisaged by Article 101 (2) of the Constitution. He added that the present circumstances demanded that the incumbent Governor should continue to hold that position,” the statement added.
On May 9, President Alvi rejected the summary sent by the prime minister to remove Cheema. However, he was removed later that night as he ceased to hold the office in light of the advice rendered by the prime minister for his removal.
The president has also referred to the Punjab governor’s letter in which he highlighted the change of loyalties during the election of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz.
“The President also made reference to Governor Punjab’s letter, dated 23rd April 2022, and a Report, dated 4th May 2022, in which it had been highlighted that the change in loyalties of the members of the Punjab Assembly, during the election of the Chief Minister of Punjab, and cobbling of the majority by illegal means had generated serious governance issues in the province as well as violated the Article 63-A of the Constitution.”
The president has said that since Cheema still holds the office, “there is no occasion to propose a new appointment.”
The president said the governor’s “principled” stance was vindicated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s May 17 verdict in which the top court declared the vote cast against the party line by the defecting members of the national and provincial assembly would not be counted to the final tally.
