LAHORE - Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema has said that he will not leave the Governor House until advised by the President of Pakistan. “I will remain in office as long as the President wants me to hold the office of Governor”, he said in a statement here.  The Governor maintained that the Prime Minister had no power to remove a Governor, but he could advise the President to appoint a new one if the office of Governor becomes vacant. The statement from the Punjab Governor has come when the constitutional timeframe of 25 days starting from the time of the Prime Minister’s first summary sent to the president expires on Tuesday( today). Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar Monday said that the Punjab governor should be de-notified by 12 midnight on Monday. (Tuesday).  Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Monday warned President Arif Alvi and Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema to desist from violating the constitution regarding the appointment of a new Governor. “It would be better for the Governor to go home with dignity within a few hours without inflicting any further damage to his honour.

 

The President and the Governor should not do indulge in acts that the history and the people keep spitting on them”, he stated. He further stated that the President and the Governor of Punjab should abide by the Constitution and the order of the Supreme Court and refrain from any violation of the law. “Those who deviate from the constitution must be prepared for the punishment for violation of the constitution, the court orders and wrath of the people”, he warned. The Interior minister maintained that the President was bound to act on the advice of the Prime Minister in a parliamentary system.

“In a parliamentary system, the President is just a figurehead with no powers of veto”, he said, adding, that the  Supreme Court has already ruled that the President had no inherent or residual powers.