In the latest developments, the Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar has tendered his resignation. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib confirmed the news in a tweet.
The move comes after the Opposition submitted the no-confidence motion against Usman Buzdar earlier today. Shortly after, PTI and PML-Q held an important meeting where Usman Buzdar handed in his resignation.
Furthermore, Farrukh Habib said PM Khan decided to nominate PML-Q’s Pervaiz Elahi as the next Chief Minister of Punjab.
چوہدری پرویز الہی کی وزیراعظم عمران خان کیساتھ ملاقات۔
ملاقات میں تمام معاملات طے ہوگئے۔ق لیگ کا وزیراعظم پر اعتماد کا اظہاراورحمائیت کا اعلان۔وزیراعلی عثمان بزدار نے اپنا استعفی وزیر اعظم کو پیش کردیا
وزیراعظم عمران خان کا چوہدری پرویز الہی کو پنجاب کا وزیراعلی نامزد کرنےفیصلہ pic.twitter.com/h3G3wYwX8D— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) March 28, 2022
Opposition submits no-confidence motion
The Opposition earlier submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly. The move comes after the Opposition submitted the no-confidence motion against PM Khan.
A total of 126 lawmakers from the Opposition parties have signed the no-confidence motion against Buzdar, said PML-N’s Rana Mashood, adding that 119 members signed the requisition for a session. Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervez Elahi will convene an assembly session within 14 days after the submission of the motion.
Interestingly, earlier, reports stated that Usman Buzdar had prepared a summary to dissolve the Punjab Assembly. However, the chief minister cannot dissolve the assembly now as a no-trust motion has been filed against him.
PML-N files no confidence motion against Usman Buzdar
Basically, IK’s reluctance to get rid of a CM whom many of his own party members didn’t even approve of has given the PML-N the initiative – Pervez Elahi will likely be the next CM if this succeeds pic.twitter.com/GTgfsb3RLQ
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) March 28, 2022
After PM Khan, the Opposition had targeted Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. The Opposition aimed to submit the no-confidence motion against Buzdar on the basis of his performance. Furthermore, as per reports, many senior PTI leaders associated with the federal government also favored the removal of CM Buzdar.
Read more: Usman Buzdar best performing CM: Survey
The pressure had increased to such an extent that CM Buzdar allegedly offered to resign. However, PM Khan refused to accept his resignation and directed him to continue working in the same capacity.
Who will be the next CM of Punjab?
Should the no-confidence motion succeed against Usman Buzdar, there are high chances that the next Punjab Chief Minister will be PML-Q’s Pervaiz Elahi.
Amid the no-confidence motion against PM Khan, PML-Q has made demands for the Punjab Chief Minister seat. To clarify, PML-Q reportedly said it will go with the side offering the Punjab CM seat.
Interestingly, regarding this, it seems as if both the Opposition and the PTI government offered Punjab CM seats to PML-Q. According to reports, a government team led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with PML-Q on Saturday.
FM Qureshi reportedly gave his word that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi is the PTI government’s preferred choice for Usman Budzar’s replacement. A PML-Q senior leader on the condition of anonymity told the media.
Meanwhile, a day later, reports also emerged that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif agreed to give the Punjab Chief Minister seat to PML-Q. This was a major development. To clarify, PML-N had earlier refused to accept Pervaiz Elahi as the next Punjab CM.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif agrees to give Punjab CM seat to PML-Q