ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday expressed his determination to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies in December.
Imran Khan remarked this while chairing a meeting with senior leadership of the party at his residence in Zaman Park Lahore on Wednesday.
The PTI chairman said he was determined to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies this month, urging the senior party leadership to constitute a parliamentary board.
Lambasting the incumbent government over ‘deteriorating’ economy, the PTI Chairman reiterated that the only solution to country’s problems was immediate and transparent elections.
During the meeting, former federal minister Asad Umar apprised the former premier of the party affairs while Babar Awan briefed Imran Khan on legal matters. “The reference against the Chief Election Commissioner and Member Sindh should be heard immediately,” the PTI demanded.
Talking to journalists after the meeting, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Imran Khan was willing to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies in a few days.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Imran Khan had given a clear message to not take any steps against national interests. He added that the PTI chief was fully aware of the difficult phase for Pakistan.
“The nation gives its opinion that fresh elections are the only solution to all problems. We try to convince the incumbent government. President Arif Alvi had also tried to convince the rulers but progress was not made.”
Qureshi said that Imran had been holding back-to-back meetings with PTI lawmakers in Punjab. “After talking to them, he is convinced that the only way forward is dissolving assemblies and moving towards fresh elections,” he stated.
Last month, Imran announced that his party would disassociate itself from the “current corrupt political system” by quitting the assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
However, in an interview with Bol News earlier this week, the PTI chief said that he may delay the dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies if political players agreed to come to the table and decide that the general election would be called maximum by the end of next March.
Since March will be the month of Ramazan, Imran’s new suggestion implied that the coalition government should immediately announce the date of elections, and dissolve all assemblies.
While the former prime minister is determined to dissolve assemblies, Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi — who is in power in the province due to the support of PTI — has said that the provincial assembly will “continue the same way for the next four months till March”.
“My stance is the same … I will dissolve [the assembly] whenever he (Imran) tells me to,” Elahi stated in an interview with Hum News. “That decision has been taken. However, now you’d have to think of its pros and cons. For that, we will have to hold talks.”
