The eleventh-hour drama staged by PTI Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema flopped. Hamza Shehbaz was finally sworn in as Punjab CM. Hours before the swearing in ceremony, Governor Cheema had suddenly decided to reject former CM Usman Buzdar’s resignation and ask him to immediately assume the office of Punjab CM and hold the cabinet meetings. Mr Buzdar’s resignation had been accepted on April 1 and the PTI government had made it known that it wanted Ch Pervez Elahi to replace Mr Buzdar. The PTI however met an upset when Hamza was elected CM by the Punjab Assembly on April 16. With the help of President Arif Alvi and the Punjab Governor, the PTI succeeded in delaying the assumption of the CM’s office by Hamza, hoping meanwhile that Ch Pevez Elahi would somehow or other get the decision reversed in another meeting of the Provincial Assembly that he had convened. But as the PML(Q) leader developed cold feet and canceled the meeting, while the Lahore High Court directed the National Assembly Speaker to administer oath to Hamza on Saturday, Governor Cheema decided to reject Mr Buzdar’s resignation even hough it had been already accepted when he took office. The provincial bureaucracy, was meanwhile ordered by LHC to make all arrangements required for administering oath to Hamza.
The powerless Governor sought the help of President Alvi, asking him to send Rangers to stop the oath taking ceremony at Governor’s House. While this revealed the Governor’s desperation, it also showed his ignorance about the working of the system
The PTI’s despondency is understandable. With the PML(N)-led allied government ruling the largest province, PTI chief Imran Khan will find it difficult to take hundreds of buses full of people to Islamabad protest. He will not be able to utilize Punjab government resources in forthcoming local body polls as well as in general elections. Knowing that he cannot order early elections, Imran Khan will find it difficult to ask the PTI’s Punjab Iegislators to resign.
The Hamza government too faces tough problems ahead like inflation, diesel shortages and power shutdowns. Adjusting allies in the cabinet to their satisfaction would not be easy either. Several PML(N) leaders including Hamza have suffered under PTI rule. There is a need on the part of the new government not to be vengeful and act strictly in accordance with law.
