Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz has launched a consultation process with opposition parties, inside and outside the house, and has floated two possible names for the caretaker chief minister of Punjab.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) delegation led by Riaz on Monday visited Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) headquarters in Mansoora and met with JI Provincial President Dr Wasim Akhtar. The leaders discussed the details and establishment of a caretaker set-up for Punjab and exchanged two names for the province’s top slot.
PPP suggested the names of Nawab of Bahawalpur Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi and Justice (retd) Arif Mehmood Chaudhry as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab while the JI recommended columnist Dr Safder Mehmood and former Lahore High Court chief justice Mian Allah Nawaz.
Led by Riaz, the PPP delegation comprised Shaukat Mehmood Basra and Maj (retd) Zulfiqar Gondal while the JI delegation included Akhter, Hafiz Salman Butt and Amirul Azeem.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2013.