Following the rejection of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s resignation by Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet was held in the Punjab Assembly under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Saturday.
The political drama started in the morning when the arrangements were in progress for the oath-taking ceremony of Hamza Shehbaz under the directions of the Lahore High Court. When Hamza was all set to take the oath of his office, Governor Punjab rejected the resignation of Usman Buzdar while also reinstating his cabinet.
As the decision was made, senior ministers started reaching the Punjab Assembly for a meeting. It was attended by Raja Basharat, Sabtain Khan, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Dr. Akhtar Malik, Murad Ras, Syed Yawar Bukhari and Sardar Husssnain Bahadur Dareshak.
The meeting chaired by Buzdar expressed concern over the situation in the Governor House. They also discussed that the swearing-in of Hamza Shehbaz in the presence of constitutional orders of the governor of Punjab would create a further constitutional crisis in the province.
The meeting also considered the intra-court appeal being heard in the high court by MPAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). It was decided by the participants at the meeting that they should wait for court orders to avoid this constitutional crisis. It was said in the meeting that the administration and the police should not be a party in this matter, the Governor’s House should not be invaded and occupied by the police and fascism should not take place.
Today’s meeting of the cabinet had been held under the orders of the governor, they said, adding that its constitutional and legal status was certain. The election of Hamza Shehbaz in the cabinet had been declared controversial, unconstitutional and illegal, and there was a proper forum and the court was being approached for this, they added.
As Buzdar left the meeting, he was surprised that his protocol staff wasn’t present as Hamza had taken the oath by then and the staff went for their duty with the new chief minister.
