LAHORE : Jan 22, 2023: Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi on Sunday took oath as a caretaker chief minister Punjab here .
Governor Punjab , Balighur Rehman , administrated the oath.
A large number of notables , distinguished personalities , colleagues and fried of new caretaker chief minister Punjab attended the oath taking ceremony.
Earlier , the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had picked up Mohsin Naqvi , owner of 24 News, City 42, City 41 and City 44 TV channels, for the slot of caretaker Punjab.
The ECP said in its official announcement made here on Sunday that its decision to appoint Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister Punjab was unanimous .
ECP took the decision to appoint Mohsin Naqvi as care taker chief minister Punjab in a meeting held here with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) , Raja Sultan Sikander , in the chair.
After failing of the parliamentary committee , four names were sent to the ECP to pick one of them for the post of the caretaker chief minister . These names included Ahmad Cheema a retired bureaucrat , Ahmad Nawaz Sukhaira , a senior serving civil servant , Mohsin Naqvi , owner of private TV channel –24 News and at least four others, and Nasir Khosa, again a retired senior bureaucrat.
Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) had expressed strong reservations over two names –Ahnad Cheema who is known for his loyality to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) and Mohsin Naqvi , a man known as a close buddy of Asif Ali Zardari. PTI chairman, Imran Khan , had made it clear to the ECP that in case it picked up any one of the controversial names without mentioning any name but obviously he meant Mohsin Naqvi and Ahmad Cheema his party will not accept it . Former chief minister , Pervez Elahi, was even more hostile towards Mohsin Naqvi who is his close relative also . Mohsin Naqvi is a son in law of real sister of Chaudhary Pervez Elahi . Ashraf Marth , a senior police office and Chuadhary Pervez Elahi’s brother in law and father in law of Mohsin Naqvi , was gunned down inside Gujranwala police line in the morning by the terrorists for carrying out an operation against a banned religious sect in late 90s.
Chaudhary Pervez Elahi probably opposed appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as a caretaker chief minister due to his close friendship with Asif Zardari and Chaudhary Salik Hussain , elder.son of Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain.
Soon after announcement of appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister Punjab, Chaudhary Pervez Elahi tweeted and said how come his close relative could become a caretaker chief minister Punjab. He actually denied the fact in his tweet .
PTI leader , Fawad Chaudhary , wailed over Mohsin Naqvi’s appointment as caretaker chief minister Punjab and said in his statement on Sunday that with the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister Punjab , PTI was left with no other option but to again return to the streets . He asked PTI workers to get ready to launch massive street campaign against the ECP . PTI leader , Babar Awan , tweeted that with appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister Punjab , ECP proved it was a party to PDM against PTI.