ECP to decide on Punjab caretaker CM as govt, opp fail to reach consensus

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will nominate the caretaker chief minister for Punjab after the government and opposition failed to reach a consensus on a single name, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Friday.

The parliamentary committee of the government and opposition members met on Friday afternoon, however, they failed to reach a consensus on a single name.

The government has proposed the name of Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhira and Naveed Akram Cheema while the opposition has nominated Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema for the slot of the caretaker chief minister of Punjab.

Addressing the media after the meeting, PTI leader Raja Basharat said that the ECP will decide on the name of the caretaker Punjab CM.

He said that the name given by the government were much better than those proposed by the opposition.

Raja Basharat said both the names given by the opposition were not suitable considering the people’s opinion.

He said that the opposition should not have given the names of those who have criminal records.

He said the opposition did not agree to them on this point and now the ECP will decide on the final name from the given four names.

He hoped that the ECP will make the appropriate choice after thoroughly checking the credentials of the proposed candidates of the caretaker Punjab CM.

The former provincial minister further said that they will approach judiciary if any controversial figure is chosen to become the caretaker CM.

PML-N leader Malik Ahmad Khan said it was unfortunate that the decision could not be taken at the political level as the parliamentary party session ended in a stalemate.

He said they were hoping to resolve the issue on the political level.

He said government proposed controversial personalities. The name of the officer of the Federal Public Commission is also controversial as it is clear in the constitution.

He said Cases were made against Ahad Cheema by NAB during three years of Imran Khan tenure.

Did Ahad Cheema not build the metro? Ahad Cheema did not complete the task of Orange Line? Asked Malik Ahmed Khan.

He said the name of Mohsin Naqvi was rejected due to personal preference or dislike.

It is written in the constitution, it is written in 224A that the Speaker can refer to the Election Commissioner after failure to appoint the caretaker CM, said Malik Ahmad Khan.

He said PTI is threatening to go to Supreme Court if we did not accept their names.

He said his choice for the post is Mohsin Naqvi because he is undisputed.