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Lahore -As the political crisis in Punjab continues with no end in sight, another constitutional question has been raised.
The deadlock is over the removal of PTI’s Omar Sarfraz Cheema, who was appointed as governor on April 3.
Even though the president had “strongly rejected” the prime minister’s advice to remove Cheema from the post, a notification to remove him was nonetheless issued late last night by the Cabinet Division.
“The president has conveyed to the prime minister of Pakistan that governor Punjab cannot be removed without his approval,” the tweet from the president’s office stated.
President Alvi cited Article 101(3) of the Constitution as giving him the power to reject the premier’s advice.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division, in its notification, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had rendered advice to the president twice — on April 17 and May 1 — to remove Cheema from office and that despite the president’s rejection to follow that advice, under Articles 101 and 48(1), Cheema ceases to hold office.
The question that needs to be answered is whether the Constitution empowers the president to reject the advice of the prime minister on the governor’s removal.
