ISLAMABAD: Eight members of the caretaker Punjab cabinet on Thursday took oath at the Punjab Governor’s House in Lahore to manage administrative affairs in the country’s most populous province for three months before the elections, Pakistani state media reported.
Former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi dissolved the 17th provincial assembly of Punjab on January 14. Elahi, an ally of former prime minister Imran Khan, dissolved the assembly in a bid to mount pressure on PM Sharif’s government to call nationwide snap elections. The move was followed by the dissolution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial legislature that was ruled by Khan’s PTI party.
After a deadlock between PM Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parties, Pakistan’s election regulator selected media mogul Mohsin Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab. The move was denounced by Khan, who accused Naqvi of being biased in favor of the PML-N.
“Governor Muhammad Baleegh ur Rehman administered the oath at a ceremony, which was attended by the Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and high-up officials,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster said.
In this screengrab taken from state television's coverage, the Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman administers oath to the members of the caretaker cabinet at the Governor's House in Lahore on January 26, 2023. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/PTVNewsLife)
The ministers who took oath included S. M. Tanveer, Dr. Javaid Akram, Ibrahim Murad, Bilal Afzal, Dr. Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, Syed Azfar Ali Nasir and Amir Mir.
Three “finalized ministers,” according to Radio Pakistan, are expected to take oath of office later. They include Pakistani fast bowler Wahab Riaz, Naseem Sadiq and Tamkinat Karim.
Pakistani media widely reported that Riaz had been appointed as the caretaker sports minister of the province.
