Punjab governor logjam continues

President Arif Alvi on Saturday asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider his advice about the appointment of a new Punjab governor as Omar Sarfraz Cheema “still holds the office”.

He was responding to the premier’s summary about appointing a new governor — Baleeghur Rehman — after Cheema was de-notified by the Cabinet Division following a dispute between Alvi and Shehbaz over the authority to appoint someone to that post.

In a statement issued by the President House, Alvi maintained that “there is no occasion to propose a new appointment of [the Punjab governor]” as Cheema still held office.

“The governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, as envisaged by Article 101 (2) of the Constitution,” Alvi pointed out, reiterating what he had written in his earlier communication to the prime minister on earlier on May 9.

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The president added that the present circumstances demanded that Cheema should continue to hold that position.

Alvi also referred to the Punjab governor's letter on April 23 and a report on May 4, in which it had been highlighted that the switching of the loyalties of the Punjab Assembly members during the election of the chief minister, and manipulation of the majority by “illegal means” had caused serious governance issues in the province besides violating Article 63-A of the Constitution.

“The principled stand of the governor had been vindicated by the recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on May 17, 2022, on Reference No 1 of 2022, moved by the president of Pakistan.”

Alvi maintained that Cheema’s stance was further augmented by the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on May 20, declaring the defection and changing loyalties of the 25 members of the provincial assembly in the election of the Punjab chief minister as the “worst form of betraying the electorate and party’s policy”.

He pointed that the 25 defecting MPAs had ceased to be members of the Punjab Assembly as per the ECP’s decision.

On May 9, President Alvi had “strongly rejected” PM Shehbaz’s advice to remove Cheema, saying that under Clause 3 of Article 101 of the Constitution, “the Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”.

Alvi had opposed the decision on the grounds that the governor could not be removed without his approval.

Alvi had written that the governor “cannot be removed” because there was neither any allegation of misconduct, nor conviction by any court of law or of any act committed by him contrary to the Constitution.

He had stated that it was his duty as the head of the state to represent the unity of “the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in terms of Article 41 of the Constitution”.