Punjab (in Pakistan) Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Monday announced his resignation after the Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the Punjab Assembly earlier today. According to Pakistan's Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated PML-Q's Chaudhry Pervez Elahi for the post.
"Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi meets Prime Minister Imran Khan. All issues were settled in the meeting. PML-Q expresses confidence in PM and announces support. Chief Minister Usman Bazdar tenders his resignation to PM. Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to nominate Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab," Habib wrote on Twitter in Urdu.
Earlier in the day, the Opposition rushed to bring the no-confidence motion against Khan's "blue-eyed" Buzdar to forestall the PTI government's possible plan to dissolve the Punjab Assembly in case of the premier's ouster.
The Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) submitted the motion against Buzdar, 52, with the signatures of 127 lawmakers.
The Opposition also filed a requisition for the assembly session for taking up its resolution.
The resolution says Punjab Chief Minister Buzdar has lost the trust of the House.
"Buzdar has violated the Constitution by not running the affairs of the province of 110 million people in accordance with it. He also worked against the spirit of democracy during the last three-and-a-half years," the resolution said.
Talking to reporters after submitting the resolution, PML-N lawmaker Rana Mashhood said that the Opposition will also bring a no-trust motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
"It is a writing on the wall that both Imran Khan and Usman Buzdar cannot survive the no-confidence motions therefore the only honourable exit for them is to resign," he said, adding that the Opposition has more than the required numbers to send the Buzdar government home.
To a question, Mashhood said that the name of the new chief minister will be announced at an appropriate time.
Earlier, the PTI core committee was considering dissolution of the Punjab Assembly in case of Khan's ouster to press for fresh polls.
(With PTI inputs)
