It is anticipated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will now take up the case after the government and opposition determined on Friday that they could not come to an agreement about the appointment of Punjab’s interim chief minister.
The development occurs after the parliamentary committee, which was established a day earlier and held its first meeting in Lahore to discuss the significant appointment, concluded its deliberations.
The administration was represented on the committee by Mian Aslam Iqbal, Raja Basharat, and Hashim Jawan Bakht, while the opposition was represented by Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Hassan Murtaza, and Nadeem Kamran.
Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Malik said: “This was an opportunity to settle problems politically, but that could not be done here.”
“There can be no agreement when there are so many polarised perspectives,”
Murtaza acknowledged the disagreement on the subject and claimed that neither party could come to an agreement over the choice of interim chief minister.
It’s unfortunate that we’re leaving without coming to a decision, he continued.
The leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also bemoaned the impasse, stating, “When the house was small, the people were big; now the house has become big, while the people have become small.”
We were unable to come to an agreement, and he said, “Unfortunately, we are not departing with happy memories.”
It is important to note that the parliamentary committee, which consists of six legislators, was officially established under Article 224A of the constitution.
The selection of a candidate for Punjab’s top position must be made by the committee within three days. In the event of a tie, the electoral commission will decide the issue, and they have two days to choose a caretaker chief minister.
According to PML-N committee member Malik, the ECP will decide on the pick if the committee is unable to come to a consensus and in accordance with the constitution.
Parvez Elahi, the outgoing chief minister of Punjab, has already stated that if the ECP is given the authority to make decisions, he will take the case to the Supreme Court.
Malik reaffirmed his confidence in PML-N candidate Ahad Cheema and enquired, “What was the ruling in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case against him? Ahad shown his abilities by constructing the Pakistani metro.
Ahad is referred to as the “Metro Man” among his close friends and in the political world, where he is regarded as the chief minister Shehbaz Sharif’s best administrator. He was later found not guilty of the accusation, although he was detained by the NAB while Imran Khan was president.
