Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar takes oath as Punjab MPA today

• Chaudhry Nisar takes oath as MPA today (Monday).
• There is a theory that Nisar will take oath as an independent candidate and may later join PTI and replace Usman Buzdar, say sources.
• Senior PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair denies party had any role to play in this development.

LAHORE: Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is expected to take oath as a lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly today (Monday).

Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is currently the acting governor in the absence of Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. He is not attending the assembly session

Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari is not attending either due to personal engagements, sources in the Punjab Assembly said.

Sources said Nisar's close friends have advised him to take oath a few days later.

The final decision on taking oath from the panel of chairmen will be taken by Nisar, the sources said.

Nisar met Punjab Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti and presented him with a copy of the rules.

Nisar, who used to be one of the most influential leaders in the PML-N, contested the 2018 elections as an independent candidate from two national and two provincial assembly seats after developing differences with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Govt has nothing to do with Nisar's oath taking: Raja Basharat

The government has nothing to do with the swearing in of Chaudhry Nisar, says Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat.

He said Nisar had destroyed the constituency in the last three years. He said millions of rupees were lost because Nisar had not taken oath earlier.

Chaudhry Nisar's announcement

Sources close to Nisar believe that the move has its roots in the proposed legislation on electoral reforms by the federal government, envisaging a time frame for the elected members to take oath, The News reported.

Nisar had also given the update about his oath on Twitter. He, however, clarified that he had not changed his stance and would neither take salary nor avail perks.

This move is not a result of any political development, but a need of the time, sources were quoted as saying by the publication.

The sources said the government is planning to amend the electoral laws and may include a clause that those not taking oath for a specific time period would be de-seated.

After Nisar’s announcement, several conspiracy theories had started doing the rounds in print and social media that ‘someone’ wanted to give Nisar a bigger role and that’s why he was taking the oath after almost 2.5 years, the sources said.

Read more: Not part of PML-N anymore: Chaudhry Nisar

The theory is: Nisar will take oath as an independent candidate and may later join PTI and replace Usman Buzdar.

Sources said this might be a hurdle race for Nisar. He would first have to make himself acceptable as the CM in the PTI and then deal with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who also wants to control the province.

What are the PML-N and PPP saying?

The PML-N and PPP are closely monitoring the development.

Senior PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair denied the party had any role to play in this development.

“Ch Nisar left the party saying he will not work under Maryam Nawaz,” Zubair said, adding that Maryam had emerged as a national leader so the reason for which Nisar left the party was there and even in a bigger role.

Responding to a question on the close relationship between Nisar and Shehbaz Sharif, Zubair said personal relations were different from politics.

He said Sharif family was together and so far the party’s high command had not taken any decision on bringing in Nisar or supporting him for the slot of chief minister. Zubair said he didn't know why Nisar had suddenly announced to take oath.

PPP parliamentary secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza, meanwhile, says the party is "closely watching" the development. He said Nisar didn’t take oath for 2.5 years, which means he had deprived the people of his constituency of their right of representation.