Hamza Shahbaz officially named PA opposition leader

Post was lying vacant since change of government in province

LAHORE:

Former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shahbaz was officially named the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Sunday.

A notification regarding Hamza’s appointment was issued following the approval of PA Speaker Sibtain Khan.

It is pertinent to note that the post of opposition leader had been lying vacant since the change of governments in the province.

Hamza's short stint as CM

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader was removed as the opposition leader earlier this year in April after being appointed as the Punjab chief minister.

Read LHC issues notice to Hamza, others on petitions challenging his position as CM

However, merely four days after taking oath as the provincial chief executive, Hamza’s ascension to the office was declared unlawful, bringing even his second stint to an abrupt end, cutting short his tenure even shorter than the first one.

His two short stints as the premier of the political heartland remained marred by controversies.

From securing votes from defecting PTI MPAs, which were later declared void, to being controversially declared a winner in contentious chief minister's elections despite securing seven fewer votes, Hamza's office had remained under clouds through and through.