ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on Friday accepted Chief Minister Usman Buzdar's resignation and summoned a session of the provincial assembly tomorrow to elect the new chief executive of the most populous Pakistani province, state media reported.
Prime Minister Imran Khan handpicked Buzdar to be the Punjab chief minister in August 2018, though the decision was criticized by members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who believed Buzdar was not a known political figure and competent enough to manage the affairs.
Buzdar tendered his resignation to PM Khan on Monday after the latter nominated Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, leader of a key coalition party, as the new chief minister of Punjab. The resignation came hours after the opposition in the Punjab Assembly submitted a no-confidence motion against Buzdar.
In return for the CM's nomination, Elahi’s Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q0 party promised to side with Khan, who faces a no-trust vote in parliament on Sunday.
CM Buzdar confirmed his resignation to Governor Sarwar at a meeting in Lahore Friday afternoon, which was accepted.
"In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 109 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I, Mohammad Sarwar, Governor of the Punjab, hereby summon the 40th Session of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab to meet on Saturday, 02 April, 2022 at 11:00 am... for election of the Chief Minister under Article 130 of the Constitution," read a written order issued by the Punjab governor.
Buzdar had been a polarizing figure in the province, with members of a PTI dissident group and the government's coalition partners demanding his removal in recent months.
However, the dissident PTI lawmakers, led by estranged leader Jahangir Tareen, said they would support Elahi as the Punjab chief minister after Buzdar tendered his resignation.
Prior to the filing of the no-confidence motion, local media reported Buzdar had prepared a summary to dissolve the assembly and was waiting to hear from the prime minister. It was also said he had offered his resignation to the prime minister in recent days, but it was turned down.
The opposition has announced its plans to nominate its own candidate for the post of the chief minister.