Following ex-PM Imran Khan’s clarion call, protests erupted in Pakistan over the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker’s ruling to re-elect Hamza Shehbaz as the Chief Minister on Saturday. Protestors, largely belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), took to the streets in Islamabad, Karachi, Multan, Lahore, and Peshawar over Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son’s appointment, local media reported.
After the dramatic twist in the Punjab CM Elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has launched nationwide protests with Imran Khan Khan lashing out at Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Asif Zardari, and accusing him of ‘horse-trading’.
“Asif Zardari, the famous bandit of the country, has been robbing the country for thirty years. Funeral of democracy is taken out by Zardari when he uses the money of people of Sindh to buy souls,” said the former PM. “I want to appeal to the nation to record their peaceful protest against the Punjab Assembly developments tonight,” Khan added after the shocking results were announced.
Pakistan: Dramatic twist in Punjab CM Elections
Hamza Shehbaz retained his position as the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province despite winning fewer votes than the PTI-led coalition. While Pervaiz Elahi- the joint candidate of PTI and PML(Q) received the support of 186 members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), Hamza Shehbaz bagged only 179 votes. However, in a surprising twist of events, Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari rejected the votes cast by 10 PML(Q) MPAs giving Shehbaz a slender majority of three votes.
The Deputy Speaker justified his decision by citing an order passed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court in May which ruled that the votes of lawmakers who go against the party line won’t be counted. While Hamza Shehbaz is the son of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Pervaiz Elahi is a PML(Q) leader who is currently the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
Hamza Shehbaz was administered the oath at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Punjab on Saturday, according to Pakistan’s Dawn News. It is important to mention that a win for Elahi would have bolstered ousted PM Imran Khan’s persistent demand to conduct fresh General Elections in Pakistan.