LAHORE: Reacting to Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s statement in favour of former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (retired), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that Elahi stands with the PTI and “despite the differences, we will contest the upcoming elections together”.
The former premier told this to the PTI members of Punjab Assembly during a meeting held here on Monday, said sources.
“PML-Q senior leader Moonis Elahi has assured me of the PML-Q’s full support; hence, there would be a ‘dama dam mast qalandar’ on December 23,” Khan was quoted as saying. He observed that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has a habit of taking pressure, but he firmly stands with the PTI and he will dissolve the Punjab Assembly when the PTI decides to do so. “The provincial legislators should not get confused with the CM’s statement and hence should not change their narrative,” he added. On this occasion, he asked the Punjab Assembly members to get prepared for future elections.
Moreover, during a meeting with a group of foreign correspondents, Imran Khan that the PTI and PML-Q were two independent political parties and hence the latter has its own policy on General Bajwa (retired). “The Punjab Chief Minister has handed over a summary for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly to me and I will send this advice to the Punjab Governor on Friday,” he added.
Elections only option to avoid default, claims Imran Khan
He maintained that the PML-Q was an independent party and thus it can hold negotiations with the PML-N. He also said that he could not say to what extent the Americans were involved in the removal of his government; “hence, I had demanded an inquiry into the cypher”.
On the former army chief, he said that the PTI believes that Bajwa was responsible for the current situation, adding that the National Accountability Bureau was under his control and “despite my opposition, he gave ‘NRO-2’ to everyone”.
He held the former army chief responsible for bringing down his government; “he was responsible for the current political and economic crisis in the country”.
Khan also held a meeting with a select group of senior journalists and discussed the present political situation and the party’s plan of action. On this occasion, Senior PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Musarat Jamshed Cheema were also present.
The PTI chief told the journalists that the PTI’s struggle was for the enforcement of rule of law and justice for all. He was optimistic about returning to the assemblies with a two-third majority and showed determination to reform the institutions. He was of the firm view that early elections were the only solution to deal with the current problems.
Meanwhile, the sources disclosed that the PTI chief formed a three-member committee to discuss seat adjustment with the PML-Q for the next elections. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi will head the committee while former defence minister Pervez Khattak and PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry will be its members. “The committee would hold its first meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi on Tuesday (today) to decide the SOPs for the negotiations. It would also review the electoral position of the PTI in constituencies where the PML-Q was asking for seat adjustments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
Comments
Comments are closed.