PTI withdraws Nasir Khosa's name for Punjab caretaker CM

In a surprise move, the Pakistan Tehrik Insaf has withdrawn the name of Nasir Mehmood Khan Khosa for the slot of Punjab’s caretaker chief minister.

“We made a mistake by suggesting the name in haste,” said Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed while addressing a press conference.

The Punjab government and opposition on Monday had agreed to appoint Khosa as the province's caretaker chief minister.

Rasheed added that a new name will be announced within 24 hours.

Later, the PTI's Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry said that Khosa's name was given by the party considering his qualifications and his track record. However, he said that there was an immediate reaction on social media, conventional media and within the party itself following the announcement.

Chaudhry said that the party was withdrawing the name "since elections are a very sensitive issue and conducting elections in Pakistan is a very difficult job so it won't be appropriate for a controversy to be created and [allowed to] grow".

Khosa, who hailed from Dera Ghazi Khan, belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and is the brother of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, the puisne judge of the Supreme Court and former FIA DG Tariq Masood Khosa.

He worked as chief secretary of Punjab between 2010 and 2013.

Nasir Saeed Khossa had also served in various other capacities in Punjab. Prior to his stint as Balochistan chief secretary, he served the province in different capacities between 1979 and 1991.