ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema on Sunday announced he was delaying the oath-taking chief minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz until he was satisfied that the election for the post was held in accordance with the law.
Saturday's election for the chief minister was marred by scuffles between lawmakers. The session started with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmakers assaulting Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, who was presiding over the session.
Hours later, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers assaulted the PTI and PML-Q’s joint candidate for chief minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, as he arrived at the assembly.
On Sunday, Governor Cheema accused CM-elect Shehbaz of intimidating opponents by having police officers assault Punjab Assembly lawmakers, in an attempt to win the election.
“I cannot, while I hold a constitutional office, give my endorsement to an unconstitutional action,” he said at a press conference.
“Hence, I will only initiate proceedings [related to the oath-taking] when I am satisfied that this election was held in accordance with the constitution and the directives of the [Lahore] high court.”
Cheema said he had written to the advocate-general and the Punjab Assembly speaker, seeking their opinion on the matter and until then, was suspending proceedings to administer oath to Shehbaz.
The development came amid local media reports that suggested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government in the center had removed Governor Cheema from the post of Punjab governor.
In response to reports of his dismissal, Cheema said it was not the prerogative of the prime minister to oust him from office. The premier only sends a summary to the president, he added.
“Until the president does not notify it (the summary), I am holding this office,” he said.
Punjab, the most populous province of the country, has been without a chief minister since Usman Buzdar stepped down from the post last month, when former prime minister Imran Khan nominated Elahi, a leader of a key coalition party, as the new chief minister.