Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Saturday administered the oath to newly re-elected Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz after a day of drama that ended with Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s shock defeat in the contest for the slot as provincial assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari decided not to count the votes of PML-Q lawmakers.
Hamza, clad in a black sherwani, was administered the oath at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Punjab.
In the television footage of the ceremony, slogans of “Aik Zardari Sab Pe Bhaari” (one Zardari outweighs them all) were heard immediately after Hamza took the oath.
Later, Hamza offered thanks to God for giving his party success “once again”. He was also grateful to Asif Zardari and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and coalition partners “who have played their key role for the strengthening of democracy in the country”.
It is the second time that Hamza beat Elahi in the contest for the Punjab CM. The last time he had secured victory on April 16, his oath-taking had been delayed for days with then-governor, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, refusing to administer the oath to him. Eventually, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered the oath to him on April 30, following the Lahore High Court’s directives.
