Hamza Shehbaz appointed opposition leader in Punjab Assembly

Assembly secretariat previously raised questions at signatures submitted by lawmakers

LAHORE: Hamza Shehbaz, son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, was appointed as the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday.

Speaker Punjab assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi issued the order of Hamza's appointment. The delay in the announcement was due to an issue with the lawmakers' signatures on Hamza's appointment.



The assembly secretariat had earlier launched an investigation as lawmakers claimed the signatures were forged. The lawmakers were then summoned and instructed to sign in front of secretariat staff.

Yesterday, Hamza said that if the opposition had fielded a joint candidate for presidential slot, it would have been beneficial for parliamentary democracy but “we are at a loss to understand the helplessness of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).”

Hamza reiterated that the general elections were rigged, saying the PML-N is not the only party complaining about it. He added that Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was also speaking on alleged rigging.

He also claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan asked for three months to judge his performance but has no agenda and added that the people are facing 14 hours of load shedding.



The Sharif scion regretted the signature mismatch controversy and demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take notice of the Elahi's alleged involvement in the Punjab Bank scandal.