KP CM moves assembly dissolution summary to governor

PESHAWAR/LAHORE: Living up to his commitment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Tuesday moved a summary to the KP governor for the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

“I, Mahmood Khan, chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in pursuance of Article 112(1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, so here forward my advice for dissolution of the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 17th January, 2023 at 2100 hours,” the chief minister explained in the summary.

Mahmood appeared in a video and smiled after signing the summary, saying he had fulfilled his commitment made to the party chief that he would dissolve the provincial assembly at 10pm on Tuesday.

Mahmood said on Imran Khan’s order and vision, they served the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for more than four years. The chief minister said there would be general elections in 90 days, predicting that they would come back by two-thirds majority and will form their national government.

Mahmood Khan said they will come into power on the basis of meeting all their promises made with the people. He said some of the people, particularly the imported government, had spread rumours that the chief minister would not send the summary to the governor but “today I proved them wrong, signed the summary and sent it to the governor.”

Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman has written a letter to Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan to carry forward the process of the appointment of caretaker chief minister. “Since the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition failed to agree on any name for caretaker CM within the stipulated time in accordance with Article 224(1A) of the Constitution, I have written a letter to the Speaker, so that the process can be taken forward for the appointment of caretaker CM as per Article 224A(2) of the Constitution,” said a handout issued on Tuesday.

While refusing the names proposed by the former Punjab chief minister for the slot of the caretaker chief minister, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) has submitted two names to the governor for the slot.

Mian Hamza Shehbaz, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, in his letter written to the governor proposed the names of Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema.

In his letter, Hamza Shehbaz said he was writing this letter about Governor’s Letter No PSG-1/2023-5 dated January 14, 2023, under which the process of appointment of the caretaker chief minister stands initiated under Article 224(1A) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

“Being the leader of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab (since dissolved), and not agreeing with the names proposed by the outgoing chief minister, Punjab, vide his letter No. PS/PSCM(CMO)(0)23/OT-4 dated January 16, 2023, I hereby forward the following names for the appointment of one of them as Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab: Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema,” he said.

He said that since he was presently abroad, he hereby nominated MPA Malik Ahmed Khan to further coordinate the issue of the appointment of caretaker chief minister under Article 244(1A) or Article 224A, as the case may be. A copy of the letter was also sent to Ch Pervaiz Elahi.

Party sources said the name of Mohsin Naqvi, owner of Channel 24 and City 42, was proposed by former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari after consultation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, while the name of Ahad Khan Cheema was proposed by PMLN top leadership.

It is pertinent to mention that Ahad Khan Cheema has faced NAB cases and spent a lot of time in jail during the PTI government. Sources said Ahad Cheema was very close to the PMLN’s top leadership and enjoyed their full trust.

According to the party sources, the PMLN was considering Azam Salman, Khalilur Rahman Ramday, Nasir Masood and Jawad S. Khawaja for the caretaker chief minister.

The PTI has already floated the names and those have been conveyed to the governor, who has forwarded them to the opposition leader, Mian Hamza Shehbaz. The names were Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, Nasir Mahmood Khosa and Muhammad Naseer Khan.

According to constitutional experts, if both the former CM, Pervaiz Elahi, and the leader of the opposition, Hamza Shehbaz, fail to reach an agreement, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly will form a parliamentary committee to finalise the name of the caretaker chief minister.

Under Article 224A of the Constitution, “If a Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Provincial Assembly do not agree on a person to be appointed as the caretaker Chief Minister within three days of the assembly’s dissolution, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be immediately formed by the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, comprising six members.

“The committee constituted under clause (2) shall finalise the name of the caretaker chief minister within three days of the referral of the matter to it; provided, however, that in the event of the committee’s inability to decide the matter within the aforesaid period, the names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for a final decision within two days.”