Imran Khan's nomination papers for PM post submitted
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid on Wednesday submitted the nomination papers for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan's bid for prime minister to the National Assembly secretary on Wednesday.
Rashid, while speaking to the media in Islamabad, said he was Khan's nominator for the post, while Fakhar Imam was the guarantor.
"We submitted the papers for Imran Khan’s nomination," Rashid confirmed.
The AML chief said that Imran Khan would be selected as prime minister on Aug 17 and would be sworn in as prime minister the following day at an oath taking ceremony.
Khan was nominated as the PTI's pick for PM during a meeting of senior party leaders at Banigala, according to spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry.
Meanwhile, the PPP and PML-N have locked horns over the joint opposition's nominee for prime minister.
Although the 11-party opposition alliance, comprising the PML-N, PPP and others, had earlier unanimously accepted PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif as their nominee for the post, PPP's Khursheed Shah told Dawn on Tuesday that the party had reservations over the nomination, which it had conveyed to the PML-N.
But, in what appeared to be a political tactic, he tried to downplay the matter, describing it as "trivial".
He said the PPP was in contact with the PML-N and the issue would be resolved amicably.
PML-N's Mushahidullah Khan today dismissed suggestions that the party change their nominee for PM.
"Shahbaz Sharif will remain our nominee," he asserted. "The PPP is now trying to get us to change our nominee after taking votes from us (for the NA speaker and deputy speaker elections)," he claimed.
"If Bilawal is to decide on PML-N matters, then why not give Shahbaz Sharif authority over the PPP's affairs?" he asked. "In the future, we'll make their decisions, and they can make our decisions," he remarked acerbically.
"Even martial law administrators did not dictate this way," he added.
The PML-N leader went a step further to suggest that the Opposition Leader in the Senate be changed. "The majority party should have its Opposition Leader in the Senate," he said.
"The PPP has talked about changing the Senate chairman. If their decision is not changed, then even the Senate chairman can be changed," he said.
Correction: This story earlier erroneously attributed remarks made by Mushahidullah Khan to Mushahid Hussain Syed. The correction has been made and the error is regretted.