Holding free and fair elections my priority: CM Askari

LAHORE: Newly-appointed Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi on Thursday said, holding of fair, free and impartial general elections would be his top priority agenda.

“I have no political agenda,” he added. Talking to media men at his residence here after his appointment he said, “I will try my best to discharge my duty in an effective manner”.

Answering a question, caretaker chief minister said, his cabinet would be concise and consist of professional and credible people.

Earlier in a day, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided the name of Prof. Hassan Askari as the Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab.

After failure of the opposition and the government to strike a consensus over the name for the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, the election commission decided the name of Hassan Askari as interim chief minister of the province.

The election commission selected the name of Hassan Askari from the four names proposed by the government and the opposition.

After withdrawing the name of former bureaucrat Nasir Mahmood Khosa for caretaker chief minister of Punjab, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed two new names for the slot.