Baligh shares Elahi's nominees for caretaker CM with Hamza.

LAHORE -- The Punjab governor on Monday sent three names proposed by Parvez Elahi for the caretaker chief minister to opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz to build a consensus, as one of the nominees, Nasir Mahmood Khosa, reportedly refused to become the 'joint candidate' of PML-N, PML-Q and PTI for the CM slot.

'I have received three names from Chief MinisAter Parvez Elahi which are being forwarded to OppoAsition Leader Hamza ShehAbaz Sharif. I would like to see both of the leaders jointly agree on any name within [the] stipulated time,' Governor Balighur Rehman said in a tweet.

Mr Khosa, who was also nominated for the same role by PTI in 2018, excused himself from becoming a joint nominee for the post of the caretaker chief minister, said PML-N leader Khawaja Asif in a tweet. 'Nasir Khosa is a conscientious and honest man. Being a bureaucrat his role was commendable. We had contacted him to accept the position as a joint candidate (of PML-N and PTI-PML-Q) for the caretaker chief minister but he refused,' Mr Asif stated.

Of the other two names, Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera is still in service and has a couple of weeks to go till his retirement while consensus on Naseer Khan does not look likely, as the PML-N allegedly launched a social media campaign against the former civil servant soon after his name was proposed by the Elahi-Imran alliance.

PML-N mulls names

On the other hand, consultations are underway in the PML-N to find a caretaker chief executive for the province before the province goes to polls in 90 days. At the same time, the Sharif family has consulted some senior party leaders to shortlist its own nominees.

'The Sharifs will give names of three probable candidates to the governor through Hamza to reach a consensus. Hamza Shehbaz, who has been abroad for over a month, will be told by his father about the names picked by...