LAHORE: Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema has delayed the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz due to the ruckus that took place in the assembly.
Addressing a press conference, Cheema condemned the violence that took place in the Punjab Assembly and said that such incidents set a wrong precedent. “I am a political worker and have fought elections. This is a very wrong precedent being set,” said the governor.
The Punjab governor accused the CM-elect of using “state power” on the polling day against his rivals. “I believe if Hamza Shehbaz had enough votes, then he should not have made the election controversial,” said Cheema.
The governor also questioned whether the elections for the Punjab chief minister were conducted as per the directives of the Lahore High Court, adding that Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari acted in a “partisan way”.
The governor said that his office has sought the advice of the Advocate General of Punjab as well as the speaker related to the polls and he will announce his decision.
Amid reports that he has being dismissed from his post, Cheema said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has “no right to remove him from office.”
“PM has no right to remove me, he sends a summary to the president. I am holding this office with the pleasure of the president and until the president does not notify this, I will continue to hold this office,” Cheema said.
There has been uncertainty on who would administer oath to Hamza Shehbaz. As per the law, if the Punjab governor refuses to administer the oath to Hamza Shahbaz, then the speaker Punjab Assembly will be authorized to administer the oath.
If the provincial assembly speaker also excuses himself from administering the oath, then the president will nominate a competent person for the oath. The president can nominate the chief justice of the Lahore High Court for administering the oath.
