• Former opposition leader suggests SAPM Cheema, media house owner Naqvi
• Governor writes to PA speaker to form parliamentary body to reach consensus on a name
• Fawad terms Hamza’s nominees ‘non-serious’

LAHORE: After Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz forwarded the names of two ‘loyalists’ of the federal coalition to the governor as nominees for the caretaker chief minister, which were rejected outright by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and PML-Q, the governor wrote to the assembly speaker on Tuesday to constitute a parliamentary committee to come up with a consensus candidate.

In a letter to Governor Balighur Rehman, Hamza said: “While not agreeing with the names proposed by outgoing chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, I forward the following names — Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema — for appointment of one of them as caretaker chief minister of Punjab.”

The PML-N-led federal coalition government has surprised many by nominating those considered very close to the party and whom the PTI termed ‘highly controversial’.

Former bureaucrat Ahad Cheema is currently a special assistant to the prime minister and faces corruption cases of assets beyond means and Ashiyana Housing instituted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Mohsin Naqvi is the owner of a media house and said to be very close to PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari.

“Mr Cheema is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s nominee and Mr Naqvi of Asif Zardari,” a senior PML-N leader from Punjab told Dawn, calling it a ‘smart move’ of the federal government to stall a consensus on the appointment of the interim CM as the nominees of both the incumbent chief minister and the outgoing opposition leader would eventually land with the Election Commission, which would select one of them for the slot.

“It is highly likely that the [Election Commission of Pakistan] will select from the opposition leader’s nominees, who may be instrumental in delaying polls in the province,” the leader said, adding that by nominating ‘loyalists’, the federal coalition tried its best to ensure its rule in Punjab through the caretaker set-up.

Meanwhile, Governor Rehman late on Tuesday wrote to Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan to follow the procedure under Article 224A(2) of the Constitution for the appointment of a caretaker chief minister, as there had been no agreement between the chief minister and the outgoing opposition leader over a candidate.

The speaker will now have to constitute a six-member committee comprising three MPAs each nominated by the outgoing ruling alliance of PTI and PML-Q and the opposition PML-N and PPP. The committee would have three days to develop a consensus over a name from those nominated by Mr Elahi and Mr Shehbaz. In case of no agreement, which is quite likely, the ball will fall in the ECP’s court to appoint the interim CM.

Commenting on the PML-N’s nominations, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry questioned how such “non-serious” people had been proposed for such an important position.

“The PTI has not been formally conveyed any of the names from the PML-N. But Ahad Cheema and Mohsin Naqvi sound like a joke. Ahad Cheema is a NAB-tainted nominee, and let’s not talk about Naqvi. I hope it’s not true that the PML-N has nominated them,” he lambasted while talking to reporters outside Imran Khan’s residence here.

Comparing Cheema and Naqvi with the names proposed by the Imran-Elahi duo, the former minister said: “Our nominees are towering people. The party has urged one of them, Nasir Khosa -- a very respected bureaucrat, to reconsider his rejection of the offer as this will be his contribution to Pakistan. Nasir Khosa and Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera both are very credible names.”

Talking about Mr Sukhera, Fawad said the serving bureaucrat had promised to seek early retirement in case his name was agreed upon.

PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi said: “Mohsin Naqvi calls himself a son of Asif Ali Zardari, a partner of Shehbaz Sharif and a relative of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat.”

Earlier, CM Parvez Elahi had nominated Cabinet Secretary Sukhera, former chief secretary Nasir Khosa and former health minister Naseer Khan for one of them to be appointed as the caretaker CM. Mr Khosa refused to take up the offer. He had earlier also refused the same offer from the PTI in 2018.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2023