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Chaudhry Parvez Elahi constitutionally ceased to be the Punjab after skipping confidence vote: Rana Sanaullah

LAHORE, Dec 22 (SABAH): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Thursday said that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi constitutionally ceased to be the Punjab chief minister after skipping the vote of confidence.

On December 19, Governor Punjab Engineer Mian Muhammad Balighur Rehman asked Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to take a vote of confidence.

Subsequently, Punjab Assembly Speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan disposed of the governor’s order, saying that the instructions were against the Constitution and Rules of Procedure.

In a tit-for-tat move on December 21, Balighur Rehman termed the speaker’s ruling unconstitutional and the coalition government hinted at the imposition of governor’s rule in Punjab.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Rana Sanaullah made it clear that Parvez Elahi cannot advise dissolving the assembly now, terming it illegal and unconstitutional and against the rules of the assembly.

“The governor’s order denotifying Pervaiz Elahi as the chief minister is now just a formality,” he said. “I think it will be issued.” The PML-N leader added that a notification will be issued as soon as the governor issues an order and it will be implemented immediately.

“If this constitutional decision is resisted and its implementation is stopped, the governor can write to the federal government,” Rana Sanaullah said. “After the cabinet’s approval, the federal government can send his advice to the President to approve the imposition of governor’s rule in the province.” The interior minister asserted that the President is bound to follow the advice of the Prime Minister.

“The second option we have is that Parliament can pass a resolution and then governor’s rule will be imposed for two months,” he added. “After two months, another resolution can be passed and the governor’s rule can be extended for six months.”

Dispelling the impression of a political quagmire, Rana Sanaullah said: “[When] a person (Pervaiz Elahi) himself said a majority of his party members were not in favour of dissolving the assembly and still signed the [dissolution advice] papers anyway, it becomes the governor’s duty to take action.”

Responding to a question about who would be the new Punjab CM, the interior minister said the PML-N has not yet made a decision about it. “But Hamza is our parliamentary leader and has managed the party well. I think he’ll be our candidate.” Rana Sanaullah said the first business of the next parliamentary meeting will be to elect a new chief minister.

He added that preparations had also begun to welcome PML-N supreme leader and former premier Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. When asked about the timing of his arrival, Rana Sanaullah said he could come back whenever he wanted. “He is our leader; he will give the return date.”

Commenting on recent audio leaks of Imran Khan, he said, “In closed gatherings, PTI members also admit that the audios are real and they joke about it.”