Interim chief minister: Punjab govt rejects PPP candidates

Shahbaz says candidates not acceptable to PML-N.

LAHORE:

The Punjab government rejected on Thursday two names proposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party for the post of caretaker chief minister, hinting at the possibility of the matter being settled by the election commission.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz started the first round of consultations over selecting an interim chief minister on Thursday.

The two leaders have until March 23 to agree on one name, otherwise the matter will be referred to a committee of the Punjab Assembly. If the committee also fails to decide on one name, the matter will then be settled by the ECP.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Shahbaz said his party does not wish to appoint a ‘corrupt’ person as caretaker prime minister or chief minister.

The chief minister said his party’s nominees for Punjab caretaker chief minister – Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan and Khawaja Zaheer – were upright people, while the Pakistan Peoples Party’s choices – former chief secretary Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa and Justice (retd) Syed Zahid Bukhari – had a list of allegations against them.

The chief minister also alleged that Sindh caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi is the right-hand man of Muzaffar Owais Tappi and had headed the Sindh Land Commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2013.