LAHORE MIRROR (Monitoring Desk)– In a major development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman (PTI) Imran Khan on Saturday announced the dissolution of the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 23 (Friday).
The announcement of the PTI chief — who was flanked by Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan — came during his address to the party’s workers and supporters via video link from his residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park.
Before Imran issued the date, there were reports about CM Elahi not backing the PTI chief’s decision, but the chief minister refuted the rumours and vowed that he would back “all of Imran Khan’s decisions”.
In the address, Imran thanked both chief ministers for “sacrificing” their respective governments for the “betterment of the country” and announced that his party would now be starting its election campaign.
He also warned the government against employing tactics to delay the elections and said: “I have also spoken to my lawyers […] it would be against the rules to delay the polls past 90 days.”
“The Constitution of Pakistan directs that the ECP should always be ready to conduct elections in 90 days. I know that it will try its best to not do so,” he said.
Slamming the ruling coalition further for allegedly delaying polls, the PTI chief said: “The government will not even conduct elections in October [2023].”
“The election commission is conniving with them. A very dishonest man is involved with them, who will tell them ways to delay elections,” Imran said while attacking the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja without naming him.
The PTI chief added that even after the Supreme Court of Pakistan agreed for the elections to be held, it was this same ECP that refused to conduct elections for seven months.
In response, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira reiterated that the government’s stance still stands — elections for assemblies that will be dissolved and by-polls on the constituencies that are vacated.
At the outset of his address, the PTI chief said he wanted to inform the people about why did he decide to dissolve the assemblies in both the provinces where his party ruled.
“In this country, until free and fair elections don’t take place […] fears will still remain that the country might sink.”
Imran said he provided all the details to the courts about his assets just like every commoner in Pakistan — unlike the ones who “looted” money of the masses and siphoned it abroad.
“All their money, business, and children are abroad. They are living a luxurious life in Pakistan after looting the nation’s money,” Imran said, claiming that he never thought that he could ever live anywhere else except Pakistan.
The PTI chief said that for the first time in his life, he “fears” that the “corrupt gang” imposed on the country was taking the nation toward destruction. “You can ask any industrialist, labour, and farmer; their finances cannot be managed amid the ongoing economic situation.”
The former prime minister claimed that Pakistan witnessed 50-year high inflation after the incumbent government came into power. “They washed away all the hard work we did.”
The PTI chief mentioned that the economy — including industries, taxes, exports, and agriculture — witnessed a boost during his party’s government, which lasted for nearly four years.
SOURCE: GEO NEWS
