After his election as member of the provincial assembly, in the June 26 by-polls, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif will take oath as chief minister from Punjab Governor Salman Taseer under protest. “It would be an almost repeat of what our representatives had done when they were administered oath as federal ministers by Pervez Musharraf,” a senior PML-N leader told this correspondent. The PML-N nominees had worn black armbands during their swearing-in at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. It was meant to record their protest against Musharraf's continuation as president and his several actions including the Nov 3, 2007 strike. Shahbaz will contest for the two seats of the Punjab Assembly after his clearance by the election tribunals where his candidacy has been challenged. A decision is expected during the current week. The matter may then go to the Supreme Court. “We had swallowed the bitter pill of taking oath from Musharraf only for the restoration of the deposed judges and when we could not achieve this, we had walked out of the cabinet. After his election, Shahbaz has every right to be chief minister and will record his protest while being administered oath by the Punjab governor,” the PML-N leader said. __
