In a major development, Lahore High Court has ruled that Punjab chief minister’s election will be held on April 16. It has advised both Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q’s) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N’s) Hamza Sharif to resolve the election of Punjab CM’s issue amicably.

It is not known whether or not PML-N will be able to clinch the top post of country’s largest province. But it increasingly appears that the prospects of Hamza Sharif are brighter than Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s.

It may be recalled that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who has successfully catapulted Shehbaz Sharif to power as country’s 23rd prime minister following success of no-confidence motion against the then prime minister Imran Khan, had said a week ago or so that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) leader Pervez Elahi could not become the chief minister of Punjab as he lacks the required number of votes. Imran Khan’s plan to deprive PML-N of Punjab’s chief ministership does not look very promising.

Hamid Wyne (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022