LAHORE – The swearing-in ceremony of Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shahbaz has been postponed one more time.
Hamza, the son of newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was elected chief minister of Punjab with 197 votes amid chaos last week. On Saturday, the swearing-in ceremony of the PML-N leader was postponed for the second time as the Senate chairman failed to arrive in the provincial capital despite all arrangements.
Amid the oath crisis, officials of the Punjab Governor House refused to tell the exact date of the oath-taking ceremony. The administration has not received written orders for oath-taking from the Presidency and is still waiting.
Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for four o’clock Saturday and it was later changed to 8 pm.
Meanwhile, the legal team of the ruling PML-N announced filing a contempt of court petition on Monday.
PML-N leaders held a press conference in Lahore and pointed out that delaying tactics were being used despite court orders on the matter.
Previously, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti ordered President Arif Alvi to nominate a representative to administer oath to the chief minister-elect. The court ruled that the governor could not refuse to administer the oath.
Senate Chairman to administer oath to Hamza Shahbaz today after Governor Punjab hospitalised
The PML-N had moved the court after Punjab Governor Sarfaraz Cheema refused to administer oath to Hamza Shehbaz, citing ‘legal reasons’. The PTI stalwart said after consultations with his legal team that Hamza was not elected the chief minister in a legal manner.
According to the latest developments, now the Punjab governor has been shifted to a Lahore hospital for treatment of gastroenteritis. A team of doctors at Services Hospital examined Cheema and had some medical tests done, per reports.
