LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said Monday that the party’s leadership has approved the dissolution of Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies.
“As you all know, we are quitting the assemblies. Therefore, the [party’s senior leadership] has approved the decision to dissolve the assemblies,” Chaudhry told journalists in Lahore.
Chaudhry said that Khan has spoken to Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan and the PTI chief would hold a meeting with CM Elahi later this week.
“The meetings of the parliamentary parties of both the assemblies has been summoned for later this week, following which, the assemblies will be dissolved,” he said.
Chaudhry said the PTI has kickstarted the process of allotting tickets to politicians, and as the party’s lawmakers resign from their respective assemblies, 563 seats from across the country will be vacated and elections will be held on them.
He said that the opposition will also be invited to hold consultations with the government in both provinces over the formation of the interim government.
Chaudhry said even if elections are held after seven to eight months, it won’t affect PTI due to its popularity, but the party wishes for political stability — which can only be achieved through early elections.
“Therefore, [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] should announce the date for general elections and dissolve the National Assembly. But if you don’t, then PTI will dissolve the assemblies wherever it rules.”
Earlier, as he called off the long march to Islamabad last week, PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced that his party and allies would quit the assemblies as they wanted to opt-out of the “corrupt system”.
Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi also backed the decision and said that he would not wait for a minute to dissolve the assembly if Khan orders him .
While the coalition rulers have ruled out holding general polls in the country before August, the PTI is insisting that the ongoing political turmoil can only be resolved through snap elections.
