Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz Sharif was ‘elected as the chief minister’ of the province with 199 votes during a mock session following the closure of the provincial assembly on Wednesday.
After the government’s move, the opposition decided to hold the symbolic session at a local hotel in Lahore.
Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif, while expressing solidarity with Hamza, had announced attending the session along with members of PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan groups.
The provincial lawmakers extended their support by standing up during the voting, declaring Hamza the chief minister of the country’s largest province.
Hamza went to the “symbolic visitor’s gallery” to thank Maryam Nawaz for her support.
Maryam also took to Twitter to congratulate her cousin on the victory.
The symbolic session was presided over by Shazia Abid, who was among the panel of chairmen announced by Speaker Pervaiz Elahi on April 3.
In videos shared on social media platforms, teary-eyed Maryam can be seen hugging Hamza while congratulating him.
The development comes hours after the provincial assembly received two no-trust motions in a single day, one against Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi by the joint opposition and the other by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against its own Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari.
