Committee fails to select caretaker CM Punjab

Rana Sanaullah expresses reservations over nomination of Najam Sethi.

LAHORE: The parliamentary committee failed to reach a consensus on the name for caretaker chief minister for Punjab in their first meeting held on Sunday, Express News reported.

The committee decided the criteria to follow while selecting the CM and were given a briefing about the nominees for the post in today’s meeting.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominated journalist Najam Sethi, Justice (r) Zahid Hussain, while the PML-N suggested the names of Justice (r) Amir Raza Khan and Khawaja Zaheer, a former bureaucrat.

Committee head Rana Sanaullah had reservations over the nomination of Najam Sethi.

"If he [Najam Sethi] is selected as CM then how will he do his show?" He expressed.

The committee was also reluctant to choose Justice retired Zahid Hussain as he took oath under the PCO.

Former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and former opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz forwarded two names each to the committee for a caretaker CM.

The six-member committee, headed by Rana Sanuallah, includes Major (retd) Zulfiqar Gondal, Shaukat Mehmood Basra of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) while Pakistan Muslim League Quaid’s (PML-Q’s) Chaudhry Zahiruddin Khan.

Rana Sanaullah Khan, Mian Mujtaba Shujul Rehman and Iqbal Channar are representing PML-N.

The former three represent the opposition while the latter three represent the government in the committee.