Pakistan: With race for Punjab CM won, Imran, Elahi finalize Punjab cabinet
Jul 31, 2022
Punjab [Pakistan], July 31 : After high drama in Punjab Chief Ministerial elections, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, along with Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi, finalized the provincial cabinet, media reports said.
Pakistani local media outlet, ARY News while quoting sources that Imran Khan visited Lahore where the latter met with newly elected Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and discussed the formation of the provincial cabinet and other issues.
They also discussed measures to help the flood victims. Imran Khan issued instructions to Punjab CM Elahi to speed up the relief activities in the flood-affected areas. As per sources, several names from the coalition parties , PTI and PML-Q, have been shortlisted for the Punjab cabinet portfolios.
It is learnt that Raja Basharat will likely get the portfolio of the law ministry, Murad Raas will be given education ministry, Yasmin Rashid is likely to get the health ministry while Hashim Jawan Bakht's name has been finalized for finance ministry.
Moreover, Fawad Chaudhry is likely to get the portfolio of the home minister, said sources.
Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Chaudhry Zaheer ud Din, Hafiz Muhammad Mumtaz, Samiulllah Chaudhry, Sardar Asif, Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Yasir Humayun Raja, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Taimur Khan Bhatti, and Murad Raas will also get ministerial slots in the Punjab cabinet.
Furthermore, Muhammad Abdullah Waraich, Muhammad Rizwan, Sajid Ahmed Khan, Ahsan ul Haq Chaudhry, and Khadija Omar will be added to the provincial cabinet as ministers.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sibtan Khan was elected as the new speaker of the Punjab Assembly. The session was chaired by the Panel of Chairman Wasim Badozai. Subsequently, Badozai called security inside the House after Khokhar raised objections, reported Dawn.
Sibtain Khan was a joint candidate of Imran Khan's PTI and the PML-Q. Notably, the Punjab Assembly speaker's seat fell vacant after the former office bearer, Pervez Elahi was elected as the Punjab chief minister.
After obtaining a total of 185 votes against the 175 votes obtained by PML-N's Saif ul Malook Khokhar, who was the Opposition's joint candidate, Sibtain Khan came out victorious, reported Geo TV.
Four votes were rejected during the session presided over by PTI MPA Waseem Khan Badozai. Prior to the commencement of the voting process, PML-N's Khalil Tahir Sindhu tried to raise a point of objection related to the position of the polling booth, saying that cameras were installed above it.
This comes amid the Punjab CM fiasco, as the top court declared Mazari's ruling in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of the province.
The court then declared Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza Shehbaz's 179.
PTI-backed Pervez Elahi on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab after the Supreme Court announced a verdict against the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammed Mazari.
