Prevailing political crisis: PTI eyeing dissolution of provincial assemblies

PESHAWAR: The top leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have decided to dissolve all the provincial assemblies and go for fresh elections but are awaiting the Supreme Court verdict to make a decision said senior party leaders.

“The core committee meeting recently held in Islamabad in principle decided to dissolve the provincial assemblies and go for fresh elections. There is no way people can go through the hectic process of National Assembly elections first and later for the provincial assemblies,” a senior PTI leader and member of the party core committee told The News on Monday.

He, however, said they were now looking to the Supreme Court for its verdict. “If the court validated the government stance on the fresh elections, then there could be general elections for the national as well as provincial assemblies. And in case the court verdict is different, then they would prepare another strategy,” said the PTI leader.

Another reason for not holding the elections for the national and provincial assemblies on the same day is the insufficient funds with the Election Commission of Pakistan. Pleading anonymity, he said they had conveyed it to the elected representatives to start making preparations for the general elections and mobilise people on two-point agenda - anti-US and anti-corruption. “In the recent public meeting held in Islamabad, the party leadership has come to know that there were two major issues presented before the audience, one was an anti-US stance of the party leadership and the second was a clear-cut stand on corruption. In Pakistan, 70 per cent of people vote for anti-US stance and 30 per cent on your efforts against corruption,” the PTI leader holding an important position explained.

According to him and other party stalwarts, the party was ready for elections as presently their graph was high compared to other political parties, apparently due to recent developments and particularly a clear-cut stance by Prime Minister Imran Khan about foreign inference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.

Initially, the PTI leadership wanted to hold the National Assembly elections only and let provincial governments complete their tenures. However, according to insiders, the core committee members suggested to the prime minister to announce elections for national and provincial assemblies on the same day.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was also directed to complete important projects and accelerate work on other ongoing development schemes. It was apparently for this reason that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan called an important meeting of senior officials of the Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PHA) in Peshawar to start practical work on the second phase of the Swat Motorway, a flagship project of the KP government. The chief minister and PHA officials had agreed to lay the foundation stone for the second phase of the Swat Motorway next week.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif avoided commenting on the development. However, Shaukat Yousafzai, a provincial minister and an old colleague of the prime minister, when reached, said there was no threat to the KP government.

He said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday convened the parliamentary party meeting-cum-Iftar dinner, where he explained the party position to all 91 PTI elected representatives. “After the 18th Amendment, it’s a provincial subject, but there is no indication from Prime Minister Imran Khan about dissolving the provincial assemblies,” Shaukat Yousafzai said.

The PTI had 94 MPAs in the KP Assembly of whom Liaqat Khattak, brother of Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, has left the party. Except for two MPAs, Gran Khan from Swat and Population Welfare Minister Ahmad Hussain Shah, all the 91 MPAs attended the meeting.

The two other MPAs could not come due to their personal reasons, but they are part of the party. He said Mahmood Khan explained to them that there was no threat to the government or the provincial assembly. According to Shaukat Yousafzai, Mahmood Khan said that they would stand by PTI Chairman Imran Khan through thick and thin.