LAHORE: Vice Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that Imran Khan intends to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies in next few days. “Hopefully, general elections in the two provinces will take place ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, followed by composition of new set-ups there,” he added.
He was addressing a press conference at Zaman Park along with senior party leadership after attending a core committee meeting with Imran Khan in the chair.
He said Imran had consulted the parliamentary party members in Punjab and KP assemblies besides the party members at the divisional level before making up his mind on dissolution of two provincial assemblies. According to him, Imran Khan believes that dissolution of the two provincial assemblies would be the first serious step towards general elections in the country.
Qureshi expressed the hope that the political parties in the federal coalition setup would also prefer the national interest over their personal interests and announce general elections in the country. However, if they don’t, the PTI has made up its mind to dissolve the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP to show its seriousness for new elections in the country. He said the national economic plight also suggests early elections in the country to revive the confidence of all stakeholders.
PTI ‘starts’ preparations for general elections
He said the PTI meeting has also appreciated the suo motu action of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the murder of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif. While terming it a welcoming step, he said, the court should give weight to the concerns of the mother of the journalist. These are serious issues and both the judiciary and civil society should respond to them befittingly. He also mentioned the plight of both Senator Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill on the occasion.
He also stressed on bridging the gap between the PTI and the institution of army, saying the PTI is a responsible federal party with democratic approach and it would never take a step leading to disrespect of any institution. “We will take confidence-building measures ahead to bridge the gulf with institutions to take the country out of hysterical situation,” he said.
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said all the immediate four finance ministers of the country have a consensus on the point that the economy has touched the lowest ebb. “Both Miftah and Ishaq Dar are blaming each other for it while Shaukat Tarin and I blame the act of regime change behind the situation,” he said.
He said the country is witnessing record inflation, hovering around 30 percent, amidst a drop in utilization of urea by farmers and cement by the construction industry. The consumption of cement has dropped by 23 percent, petroleum products by 20 percent and cotton arrival by 50 percent in the country, leading to unprecedented shake of the confidence of domestic and foreign investors. Dr Shireen Mazari urged the Supreme Court to ensure that the FIR of murder of Arshad Sharif should be registered on the complaint of his mother.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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