Governor Punjab accepts Usman Buzdar's resignation

• Following the acceptance of the resignation, Punjab cabinet has also been dissolved.
• Governor Punjab met PM Imran Khan before approving Buzdar’s resignation.
• Buzdar tendered his resignation after Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him.

LAHORE: Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhamad Sarwar on Friday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Geo News reported, citing sources.

Meanwhile, following the acceptance of the resignation, the Punjab cabinet has also been dissolved.

Sarwar sought approval from Prime Minister Imran Khan before taking his final decision, sources said, adding that he has summoned a session of the Punjab Assembly tomorrow (April 2) to elect the new leader of the House.

Earlier, Sarwar left for the federal capital to seek suggestions regarding Buzdar’s approval. According to sources, a discussion regarding CM’s resignation was held in the capital in light of the ongoing political situation.

PM Imran Khan instructed the governor of Punjab regarding Buzdar’s resignation after he briefed the premier about his meeting with the outgoing CM.

Sarwar also informed the premier about his meeting with the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi and informed him of the number game ahead of the voting on the no-confidence motion on April 3.

On the other hand, the Opposition has not nominated anyone for the post yet, but sources say PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz is the likely candidate. 

Opposition submits no-confidence motion against Buzdar

On March 28, Buzdar had tendered his resignation after the joint Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the Punjab Assembly.

According to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, PM Imran Khan had nominated PML-Q's Elahi for the post. PML-Q's leader Moonis Elahi had confirmed that the post has been accepted by Elahi.

"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 Pervaiz Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab," Habib wrote on Twitter.

The joint Opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly, citing that they had been "dissatisfied with his performance."

The development had come in the wake of the Opposition's no-confidence motion and increasing pressure within the PTI to remove the incumbent chief minister.

A total of 126 lawmakers — including Rana Mashood, Ramzan Siddique, Malik Ahmed and Mian Naseer — from the Opposition parties had signed the no-confidence motion against Buzdar, said PML-N’s Rana Mashood, adding that 119 members had signed the requisition for a session.

“CM Usman Bazdar has lost the confidence of the majority of the House,” read the resolution.

It said that the chief minister is not running the affairs of Punjab as per the Constitution and he has ruined the democratic norms in the province.