— Buzdar quits Punjab CM slot for Pervaiz Elahi
— Cheema rebels against PTI, PML-Q alliance
— Govt team holds talks with MQM-P
ISLAMABAD: In a major breakthrough, the embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday appointed PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as his nominee to become next chief minister Punjab as the incumbent CM Usman Buzdar announced to step down. The move came as the opposition tabled no-confidence motion in the National Assembly session.
However, the opposition also managed to dent the ruling coalition as four MNAs of the government ally, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), joined the opposition ranks. The opposition who secured 161 votes in the National Assembly.
If we add the four BAP members to the tally, the total number of the opposition benches would reach 165. If the PML-Q fails to woo back Tariq Cheema, the opposition number would touch 166.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s special assistant on political communication Shahbaz Gill said that the PML-Q leadership has assured the premier of its support on the no-trust move.
The PTI will support Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the candidate for the post of Punjab chief minister, he announced on his official Twitter handle on Monday.
PML-Q leader Chaudhry Moonis Elahi also confirmed that the post has been accepted by Elahi. Earlier in the day, Elahi along with a dozen senior party leaders called on the prime minister at his residence in Bani Gala for the final round of talks on choosing a side.
After tough negotiations, the premier has accepted their demand to sacrifice Buzdar in favour of PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The PML-Q leadership has expressed confidence in Prime Minister Imran and assured him of their support in the National Assembly.
Political pundits believe that Prime Minister Imran has turned tables on the opposition after accepting the demand of removal of Buzdar. Now, most likely the disgruntled group of the ruling party will support the prime minister on a no-trust motion against him. However, the situation will be clear in a couple of days before the upcoming National Assembly session.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib also confirmed the development, saying, “All issues were settled after Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi met with Prime Minister Imran Khan” at his Bani Gala resident in Islamabad.
He said during the meeting, the PML-Q leadership expressed full confidence in PM Imran and announced its support to him on no-trust voting in the lower house.
Moreover, PM Khan also tasked Elahi to woo back the disgruntled lawmakers of the party and Elahi has promised to play his part in this regard. However, PML-Q’s cabinet member Tariq Bashir Cheema announced to step down as Federal Minister for Housing and Works and join the opposition benches. However, a PML-Q spokesman said that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would convince Cheema to return to the party fold.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar, he said, has submitted his resignation to the prime minister. Prime Minister Imran has decided in principle to nominate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as Punjab CM, he added.
While terming the breakthrough a “first step towards success”, the senior ruling party leader confirmed that PM Imran has decided to nominate Elahi for the slot of Punjab CM.
In a video statement, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said that “opposition’s game is over”.
“They [opposition] don’t even know what has hit them … we told them earlier that they were heading towards ‘political’ blind alley,” said the minister while expressing hope that their attempt to de-seat PM Imran through no-trust move will be defeated.
Meanwhile, PM’s aide on religious harmony Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi hinted at early elections. “Situation is improving… final word is early elections,” he wrote in Urdu on his official Twitter handle.
CM Punjab Usman Buzdar tenders resignation
The Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has tendered his resignation on Monday after the joint Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the Punjab Assembly earlier today.
According to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervez Elahi for the post.
On Monday, the joint Opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly, citing that they had been dissatisfied with his performance.
The development had come in the wake of the Opposition’s no-confidence motion and increasing pressure within the PTI to remove the incumbent chief minister.
A total of 126 lawmakers — including Rana Mashood, Ramzan Siddique, Malik Ahmed and Mian Naseer — from the Opposition parties had signed the no-confidence motion against Buzdar, said PML-N’s Rana Mashood, adding that 119 members had signed the requisition for a session.
