ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar resigned this evening after the joint Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the Punjab Assembly while PTI offered this slot to Pervez Elahi, PML(Q) leader and Speaker of Punjab Assembly.
Meanwhile, PML(Q) Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema also resigned today. According to media reports, PML(Q) leaders are holding a crucial meeting under the leadership of Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain to decide their future course of action.
Also, PTI government has decided to offer one more ministry to MQM to seek their support to foil the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervez Elahi for the position of Chief Minister of Punjab. PML-Q’s leader Moonis Elahi confirmed that the post has been accepted by Elahi.
“Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi today met Prime Minister Imran Khan at Bani Gala where they settled the issues. PML-Q expressed confidence in PM and announced its support for Imran Khan.
Chief Minister Usman Bazdar tenders his resignation to PM. Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to nominate Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab,” Habib wrote on Twitter.
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.
“CM Usman Bazdar has lost the confidence of the majority of the House,” read the resolution.
It said that the chief minister is not running the affairs of Punjab as per the Constitution and he has ruined the democratic norms in the province.
On the other hand, Special Assistant to PM on Political Communication (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill claimed that the PML-Q — which is an important ally of the government in the Centre and Punjab — will support PM Imran Khan in face of the no-confidence motion against him, which the Opposition tabled in the National Assembly today.
