Islamabad- Moments after the government accept former governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar’s resignation; the federal government has appointed Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, as acting governor Punjab.
Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Khan Gorchani will perform Khan’s duty, as speaker of the Punjab Assembly for the time being. Sources close to Rana Iqbal said he might be acting governor for a few months, before a permanent replacement is found.
Constitutionally, in the absence of a governor, the Punjab Assembly speaker or chief justice of the Lahore High Court can perform the role as acting governor. However, former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry restricted chief justice’s from taking the role, and it is now passed on to the speaker.
Sources in the PML-N said the top leadership contemplated a few names for the post before Sarwar’s resignation. Regarding the current situation, party sources said Chaudhry Saud Majeed is still a front runner among candidates for the race of the Punjab governorship, due to several reasons.