LAHORE: As the Punjab Assembly stood dissolved late on Saturday, both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) alliance and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will have to submit two names each for the caretaker set-up after formal consultations.
If both sides do not reach a consensus on the subject, the matter will be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which will make the appointment.
The PTI held a series of meetings to deliberate its political strategy and finalise candidates for the caretaker chief minister, to be appointed in consultation with the outgoing assembly’s opposition leader.
وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب چوہدری پرویز الہیٰ آج چئرمین تحریک انصاف عمران خان سے ملاقات کریں گے اور نگران حکومت کے وزیر اعلیٰ کے ناموں پر حتمی مشاورت ہو گی، آرٹیکل 224-A کے تحت وزیر اعلیٰ اور قائد حزب اختلاف کا نام پر اتفاق ہونا ضروری ہے اگر یہ اتفاق حاصل نہ ہو (1/1)
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 15, 2023
The party is said to have finalised the candidates but decided to hold onto the names for another day as the PTI chairman, Imran Khan, is scheduled to present them to outgoing Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in a formal meeting at his residence.
Elahi and Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz, are now required to consult and mutually decide on a candidate to propose for appointment as the caretaker chief minister within the next three days.
The speaker of the Assembly, Sibtain Khan, had earlier claimed the PTI had finalised three names to be suggested for the caretaker chief minister’s post. The governor of the province, Baligh ur-Rehman, has invited both sides to participate in the process of appointment of an interim chief minister and provide names of their nominees for the purpose within three days.
He also offered to meet with Elahi and Shehbaz on the matter, if both leaders wished.
