ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly and the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, has accepted the invitation to become Punjab Chief Minister.
The government has chosen Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of the province, according to Pakistan Muslim League-Q leader and Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Monis Elahi.
“After Usman Buzdar presented his resignation to the party leadership at the meeting, Pervez Elahi accepted the offer of the office,” he added.
Following the ratification of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s resignation, all offices in Punjab, including the cabinet, would be abolished, according to a spokeswoman for Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar handed over his resignation to Prime Minister Imran Khan, only hours after the opposition tabled a no-confidence vote against him.
Farrukh Habib, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, announced on Twitter that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and that all issues were resolved.
He further stated that the PML-Q has expressed trust in Prime Minister Imran Khan and has pledged its support to him.
Chief Minister Usman Bazdar had handed in his resignation to the Prime Minister, according to the state minister.
PM Imran Khan also agreed to name Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as Punjab Chief Minister, according to Farrukh Habib.
The opposition in the Punjab Assembly had previously filed a no-confidence resolution against Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar in an attempt to depose him.
A no-confidence motion was filed against CM Usman Buzdar by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) (PML-N).
The opposition has also filed a demand to call a session of the Punjab Assembly, where the no-trust resolution would be debated.
It’s worth noting that, under the legislation, the Chief Minister cannot dissolve the Punjab Assembly once the no-confidence motion is submitted.
The Speaker of the House, on the other hand, is required to convene an Assembly session within 14 days of the no-confidence resolution being filed against the CM.
Opposition parties had already tabled a no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on March 8, following the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) lengthy march in Islamabad. Many Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators have come out openly against Prime Minister Imran Khan, giving the Opposition confidence that their resolution would be passed.
As the important vote on the no-confidence motion approaches, political relationships remain unknown.