Punjab Assembly likely to be dissolved soon: sources

• Punjab Governor Sarfaraz Cheema, Buzdar and Senator Mehmoodur Rasheed summoned to meet PM Imran Khan, say sources.
• Say meeting will discuss options to deal with political crisis in Punjab.
• Say Cheema may ask former CM Buzdar to take charge as caretaker Punjab CM.

LAHORE: After the abrupt dissolution of the National Assembly, Punjab Assembly is also likely to be dissolved soon, sources said Monday.

President Dr Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan as the PTI government evaded the no-confidence motion against the premier.

Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema may ask former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar to take charge as caretaker Punjab CM, they added.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Punjab governor has been summoned to Islamabad where he will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan today.

Sources close to the matter said that the premier would guide Cheema over the strategy to be applied next amid the ongoing political turmoil.

Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan also summoned Buzdar and PTI senator Mehmoodur Rasheed to the federal capital.

In the meeting, they will discuss options to deal with the political crisis in Punjab, while the two leaders will brief the prime minister over the numbers game in Punjab.

Cheema appointed new Punjab governor 

PTI leader from Punjab Omar Sarfaraz Cheema has replaced Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar as the new Punjab governor, soon after the latter was sacked on Sunday morning.

The federal government sacked Sarwar as political tensions reached a pinnacle ahead of the vote on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sources within the federal government said that Sarwar has been removed from his post on PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi's request, for allegedly campaigning for Hamza Shahbaz in the election of the chief minister.

The ex-governor, addressing a press conference shortly after being sacked, said if there is an foreign conspiracy against the incumbent government then it was electing Buzdar as the chief minister.

Sarwar said that despite having several prominent candidates, including Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Khan decided to pick Usman Buzdar as the chief minister — as only he could move Punjab towards the goal of "Naya Pakistan".

"All of PTI workers — in Punjab, Pakistan — and the federal ministers complained to us whether this was the Pakistan that we wanted where the chief secretary and inspector general are changed every three months," the former governor said.