Newly re-elected Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has taken oath, administered by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Saturday.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party’s representatives of the provincial assembly of Punjab were present in the oath-taking ceremony.
After taking oath, Hamza Shehbaz offered thanks to God. He also expressed gratitude to PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain along with coalition partners for playing their key role in strengthening democracy in the country.
In the tweet, Hamza Shehbaz reiterated to continue efforts to serve the people.
PML-N and PPP MPAs chanted the slogans of “aik Zardari sab pe bhari” immediately after the oath taking of re-elected CM Punjab.
Hamza has won the contest for the CM Punjab against Pervez Elahi for the second time. However, contrary to the last time when his oath-taking was delayed for days, because the then governor of Punjab, Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, had refused to administer the oath and the then speaker of National Assembly was ordered by the Lahore High Court for administration of oath, Hamza has taken oath within a day this time.
Yesterday, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari, as presiding officer for the election of chief minister, had rejected the votes of PML-Q members of assembly. Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari had rejected all 10 votes cast by PML-Q on the pretext that they had violated the orders of their party chief Chaudhry Shujaat.
In the run-off election Pervez Elahi bagged 186 voted whereas Hamza Shehbaz got 179 votes; however after deducting the 10 votes of PML-Q members Hamza was declared the CM by the Deputy Speaker Mazari.
Mazari had said that he had received a letter from Shujaat which directed that all 10 party MPAs including Elahi (the candidate of CM himself) were to vote for Hamza Shehbaz. He also said that he had spoken to the PML-Q chief on phone for confirmation of the letter.
Elahi and his supporters from PTI and PML-Q had criticized severely the ruling of speaker who later on went to Supreme Court Registry where the petition was accepted late night and is set for hearing today.
