The Jahangir Khan Tareen group will back the joint Opposition’s candidate, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz, for the position of Punjab’s chief minister, senior PML-N leader Ishaq Dar said on Saturday, hours before an assembly session to choose Usman Buzdar’s replacement.
The news came after a meeting in a London hotel between former finance minister Ishaq Dar and PTI ex-secretary general Jahangir Tareen.
According to sources, the two sides discussed the upcoming no-confidence vote on Sunday as well as the election of Punjab’s chief minister.
Dar and Tareen were also reported to have spoken on the phone two days prior. Sources close to Dar and Tareen confirmed the telephonic conversation. According to sources familiar with the meeting, the two leaders discussed potential avenues of cooperation between Punjab and the Centre.
Ishaq Dar, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), took to Twitter to share the major political development and thanked Tareen for announcing his support for Hamza Shahbaz.
“I had a fruitful final round of discussions with Mr. Jehangir Khan Tareen.” It has been mutually agreed that the #JKT Group will support the joint Opposition’s candidate, Mr Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, for the position of Chief Minister of Punjab. “I am grateful for the support of #JKT and #JKT Group,” Ishaq Dar tweeted.
Meanwhile, Tareen group spokesperson Aun Chaudhry has stated that their 16 MPs will support the candidate of the joint opposition.
According to sources, Hamza Shahbaz will meet with the PTI’s disgruntled lawmakers today and provide them with all necessary assurances.
Moonis Elahi’s efforts are futile
Meanwhile, PML-Q leader and federal minister Moonis Elahi’s efforts to persuade the Jahangir Tareen group to support Pervaiz Elahi as CM Punjab were futile.
Moonis Elahi met with the disgruntled JKT group for four hours, but the meeting did not produce a positive outcome.
When asked about the meeting’s outcome, Moonis Elahi tried to deflect journalists by saying, “all is well.”
However, PTI MPA Nauman Langrial stated that they had spoken with Jahangir Tareen and that the next round of meetings would take place at 2 p.m. today.
To thwart the Opposition’s no-trust motion and woo allies, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to resign. The Prime Minister also named Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was Punjab’s new Chief Minister.
PA meeting
On Friday, Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Muhamad Sarwar accepted Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s resignation.
Meanwhile, the Punjab cabinet has been dissolved as a result of the resignation’s acceptance.
Sarwar sought PM Khan’s approval before making his final decision, according to sources, after which he convened a session of the Punjab Assembly today to elect the new leader of the house.
However, Secretary Assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti stated that only a schedule for the election of the chief minister will be issued today and that the day of voting will be decided by the speaker.
The speaker has the authority in this matter and will make the final decision on whether voting will take place tomorrow or Monday, according to Bhatti.
