Punjab caretaker CM: Hamza Shahbaz rejects names suggested by Parvez Elahi

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz on Tuesday rejected the three names suggested by Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi for the caretaker chief executive of the province.

Instead, he has suggested two names of his own.

In a letter sent to Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Tuesday evening, Hamza stated that he did “not agree” with the names proposed by Elahi for the slot of the chief minister.

Instead, he put forward two names of his own for the slot.

The names included:

• Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi

• Ahad Khan Cheema

Cheema is a former bureaucrat, while Naqvi is a journalist. The latter’s nomination follows a pattern where journalist Najam Sethi was nominated and appointed as caretaker chief minister of Punjab ahead of the 2013 elections.

The names surfaced after Elahi had sent his three proposed names on Sunday.

Subsequently, the PML-N started feverishly consulting on names between coalition partners, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Should Hamza and Elahi fail to agree on any of the five names, the names will be sent to a bipartisan parliamentary committee for deliberations.

Should that fail, the matter will be forwarded to the Election Commission of Pakistan, which will then pick one candidate from the given pool of names.

Moreover, Hamza formally nominated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) former Punjab assembly member Malik Ahmed Khan as his representative to carry forward negotiations, given that he is currently abroad.