With rumours of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s removal going rife, information ministries of both Centre and Punjab have jumped in to defend the chief executive of Pakistan’s most populous province.
Reports, after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa among others, had earlier this week claimed that Buzdar’s removal was on cards.
While it wasn’t the first time such claims were made regarding the fate of CM Buzdar, the rumour has been shot down by Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz as well as Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan.
In a tweet, the federal minister said the Punjab CM wasn’t going anywhere.
Meanwhile, Chohan, who has been vocal even against senior leaders of his own party for criticising Buzdar, said that the Punjab CM would complete his tenure.
In a statement, he said that Buzdar was not going anywhere and those involved in looting people were spreading such rumours in failed attempts to affect the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Defending his boss, who has recently come under criticism for his “below-par” performance, Chohan said that Buzdar had been delivering on his responsibilities with ease.
“Usman Buzdar is serving the people at his own pace without making any decisions in a hasty manner,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier, a few members of the opposition had claimed that the Punjab government had failed in fulfilling its promises to the people and that PM Imran was looking for Buzdar’s replacement.
Senior journalists had also claimed that Punjab was on the verge of “getting a new CM”.
However, the information ministers’ statements suggest that the premier’s faith in Buzdar has restored if it had ever taken a blow at all.
