Hamza Shahbaz to be next Punjab CM, says his spokesman

LAHORE: Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz will become the next chief minister after elections take place, his spokesperson Imran Goraya said on Monday, as the pressure grows on PTI to remove Usman Buzdar.

The development came after the PMLN leader met members from the Tareen group, and they agreed to remove CM Buzdar from office, a joint statement said. The meeting was held at the residence of Aun Chaudhry, a close confidant of Jahangir Tareen and brother of PTI MPA Amin Chaudhry.

The PMLN delegation comprised senior party leaders and MPA Sardar Awais Leghari and Imran Goraya. The MPAs of Tareen group who attended the meeting included provincial ministers Ajmal Cheema, Malik Nauman Langrial, Faisal Jaboana, Abdul Hayee Dasti, MPAs Saeed Niwani, Salman Naeem, Tahir Randhawa, senior politician Ishaq Khan Khakwani and others.

Jehangir Tareen also telephonically addressed the PTI MPAs on the occasion. Sources stated that Hamza Shehbaz Sharif sought support of the PTI MPAs to overthrow Buzdar government in the Punjab. The MPAs on the occasion linked their decision with the consent of Jahangir Tareen.

Sources said that matters related to awarding of PMLN tickets to the MPAs supporting N-league at this hour also came under discussion.

Sources told Geo News that no member of the National Assembly was present during the meeting and only members of the Punjab Assembly were in attendance. "During the meeting, the leaders discussed the political situation [...] the leaders agreed to remove Usman Buzdar from the chief minister's office," the joint statement said.

The statement further stated that the Tareen group members expressed "frustration" over the situation in Punjab. "They also expressed concerns over the rising inflation, unemployment, and corruption [...] the leaders agreed to continue holding meetings," the statement added.