Sarwar gets the boot as govt appoints Omar Cheema as governor Punjab

Governor removed on the complaint of Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, say sources

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Sunday removed Chaudhry Sarwar as governor Punjab and appointed Omar Cheema in his place, ahead of the election for the new Punjab chief minister and the voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly.

عمر سرفراز چیمہ کو نیا گورنر پنجاب مقرر کر دیا گیا ہے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 3, 2022

The decision to sack Sarwar was announced by Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet in this morning.

وفاقی حکومت نے گورنر پنجاب چوہدری محمد سرور کو ان کے عہدے سے برطرف کر دیا ہے، نئے گورنر پنجاب کا اعلان بعد میں کیا جائیگا، آئین کے مطابق ڈپٹی اسپیکر قائم مقام گورنر ہوں گے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 3, 2022

Fawad had earlier said the new Punjab governor will be announced later. "Till then, the deputy speaker will perform duties as acting governor as per the Constitution," he added.

Read Timeline: No-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan

Sources said the governor was removed on the complaint of Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi. Elahi had accused Sarwar of siding with the Aleem Khan group -- that is supporting PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz against Elahi -- in the election of the Punjab CM.

Punjab CM election

The Punjab Assembly will elect a new chief minister today with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz Sharif being the two aspirants for the coveted Punjab chief minister slot.

Both also appeared optimistic during the session and claimed to have the required number of lawmakers on their respective sides.

A day earlier, Hamza had said that the PML-N had more than the required number to become successful in its quest for the next chief executive of Pakistan’s most populous province and termed the current state of affairs in Punjab a result of the ruling party’s policies.

Answering another query about the number game in the provincial assembly to ensure his election as chief minister, Elahi had stated that everything was fine.