Sikander Sultan Raja, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), chaired the meeting that made the decision.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) stated in a press release that a notification regarding the appointment had been issued and a separate letter had been sent to Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman for administering the oath to Naqvi.
Notification stated: “Pursuant to the proviso of Clause(3) of Article 224-A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and as a result of detailed deliberations held on January 22, the ECP has unanimously decided to appoint Syed Mohsin Rana Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab with immediate effect.”
#ECP has unanimously decided to appoint Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as Care-Taker Chief Minister Punjab pic.twitter.com/MUiGKVfEd0
— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) January 22, 2023
One of the two candidates suggested by Hamza Shehbaz, Naqvi is the owner of a media company. He is said to be very close to PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari.
Following last week’s dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, the appointment of the caretaker chief minister was unusually delayed due to constant back-and-forth between the government and the opposition.
