LAHORE: President Arif Alvi Wednesday called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan amid political wrangling in Pakistan’s biggest province — Punjab.
Uncertainty has gripped Punjab as the provincial government and opposition remain at loggerheads over the no-confidence motion and vote of confidence against Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) are confident of having the numbers to ensure the Punjab CM remain in office, while the opposition claims it could upset the ruling alliance.
As the political tensions persist, President Alvi called on the former prime minister to discuss the meetings he held with Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar and other federal ministers.
Both leaders also exchanged views on decisions taken by the PTI’s senior leadership in today’s meeting and the party’s ally, PML-Q.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Sibtain Khan has sent a letter to President Alvi for removing the incumbent governor, Punjab Minister for Environment Protection and Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Basharat Raja said.
The former law minister said that under Article 101(3), the president has the authority to remove the governor. Basharat said in the letter written for the removal, the speaker has also complained about the governor’s behaviour. “He has also pointed out the unconstitutional measures of the governor and requested the president to ensure that the governor does not take further unconstitutional steps.”
‘Dissolving assemblies is our constitutional right’
On the other hand, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said that it was his party’s constitutional right to dissolve the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
The comment by the PTI chief comes after PPP and PML-N lawmakers submitted a no-confidence motion against PTI-allied Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi in a bid to forestall the dissolution of the provincial assembly.
Later, the government announced that Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman would denotify CM Elahi if he does not take a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly.
Talking to a delegation of lawyers at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Imran said that the country cannot progress until there is a rule of law. “In order to get out of the slavery of the United States, the justice system must be restored and all institutions must work within their limits,” he added.
He once again accused former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of being responsible for the current economic crisis in the country. Imran said that dissolving assemblies was the PTI’s constitutional right.
However, the lawyers briefed the former premier that the Punjab governor’s move to direct the chief minister to take vote of confidence was illegal.
Imran Khan tasked the lawyers to start a movement regarding the rule of law across the country.
As per the law, the chief minister cannot dissolve the assembly once a no-confidence motion has been moved against him. The governor’s recent requirement for the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence from the house means he has to ensure that he manages to secure 186 votes in the assembly.
However, the PTI and its allies claim that the move by the PML-N and PTI to oust the Punjab chief minister is illegal and only an attempt to avoid general elections.
The PTI, at the moment, has 177 while the PML-Q has 10 members in the Punjab Assembly. On the other hand, the opposition has a combined 176 members from the PML-N, PPP and Rah-i-Haq parties.
