The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will choose one of four candidates for interim leadership of the Punjab government after government and opposition failed to agree on a caretaker chief minister.
Punjab’s interim chief ministers will be discussed at a meeting convened by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The matter was referred to the electoral body in accordance with Clause 3 of Article 224-A.
Electoral body’s final day to select caretaker prime minister is today (Sunday). There will be a meeting today, according to ECP sources, and all eyes are on the commission.
Ahad Khan Cheema and Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi were proposed by former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi and opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz, respectively. The Punjab Assembly speaker referred the matter to the ECP after a parliamentary committee could not reach a consensus on who should be the caretaker chief minister.
There was just one day for the six-member committee, equally represented by the treasury and opposition, to consider the chief minister’s and opposition leader’s nominations.
In accordance with Article 224-A of the Constitution, the parliamentary committee has three days to choose one of the four nominees. A delay in notifying the committee of its formation allowed them to consider the names only for one day.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ally Elahi has already vowed to petition the court if one of the four nominees is controversial.
