The outgoing PTI administration has left enough administrative booby traps to impede the working of the Shahbaz Sharif government. While PTI leaders claimed that they had decided to resign en masse because they considered it immoral to work with ‘thieves’ and ‘dacoits’, the party retained the posts of the president, deputy speaker NA and governor Punjab without compunction to create problems for its successors. The deputy speaker subsequently used his office to try to change the NA schedule to delay the speaker’s election and to accept the resignations of PTI MNAs tendered not individually as required by the rules but collectively on a cyclostyled paper. President Alvi retained the office because as the head of the state so he could create hindrances for the new government. The PTI loyalist who was recently appointed governor Punjab was to be helpful in a sinister move launched by the party.
Despite being elected on Saturday, Hamza Sharif was not administered the oath by the governor leaving the largest province of the country without a chief executive. Governor Cheema refused to swear in the newly elected chief minister defying hi own principal secretary’s advice that no power was vested in the governor under the constitution or any law to set aside the election on any grounds whatsoever. The governor also ignored the warning that he may render himself liable for constitutional violation if he was to act otherwise. This led Prime Minister Sharif to order the dismissal of the governor and send the summary to the president to de-notify him which he is legally bound to sign. The president however continues to delay the matter to embarrass Hamza Shahbaz as long as he can.
Such is the desperation of the PTI that it is now willing to offload Ch Pervez Elahi in favour of Usman Buzdar if that could somehow stop Hamza Sharif from becoming Punjab chief minister. Forgetting the promises made to Pervez Elahi and the travails he has recently gone through Governor Omer Cheema is seeking legal opinion from the advocate general over the legality of Buzdar’s resignation, saying it was brought to his notice that there has been a violation of a constitutional procedure in the resignation.
