Naqvi’s appointment as CM: Coalition govt blatantly violating Constitution: PTI

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) General Secretary Asad Umar has alleged that the coalition government is blatantly violating the Constitution by appointing Mohsin Naqvi as interim chief minister of Punjab with a shady background, posting anti-PTI officers in Punjab and announcing a biased interim government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

While addressing at a press conference here on Thursday, the former federal minister said that a dubious character was appointed as the caretaker Punjab chief minister and subsequently, he appointed senior officers involved in brutality against the PTI workers on May 25 while close associates of former Punjab chief minister Hamza Sharif have been included in the team of advocate general.

“Moreover, the police violated the orders of the Lahore High Court by refusing to produce PTI Fawad Chaudhry in the court,” he added.

He also had an objection to the announcement of the caretaker government in KP. “The members of a caretaker government should be apolitical with the sole aim of holding free and fair elections, but in KPK, the people affiliated with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties were made a part of the KPK cabinet. The imported government has adjusted its people in the care setup,” he added.

Umar castigated the Punjab and KPK governors for not giving a date for the elections, which was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

He also accused the PML-N of showing the intention of violating the Constitution by pondering over the option of delaying the elections in Punjab and KPK.

“As per the legal experts, the Constitution clearly states that elections must be held within 90 days after an assembly was dissolved and there was no relaxation in it. The deliberate delay of elections would mean subversion of the Constitution and hence Article 6 would apply if this happens,” he added.

According to him, the nation has decided that it would stand with the PTI Chairman Imran Khan and would struggle for true independence, democracy and supremacy for rule of law.

“Both the PTI and the people have categorically rejected conspiracy hatched against the country. Hopefully, the judiciary would also reject this conspiracy and play its role to stop the constitutional violations,” he added.

He castigated the coalition government for the economic meltdown, adding that Pakistan was facing unprecedented inflation while thousands of people have lost their jobs and foreign exchange has fallen to a record low. He also lamented Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for artificially controlling the exchange rate; “after removing the cap on the dollar, it is still not available at Rs 250.”

He demanded announcement of election dates for Punjab and KPK as per the Constitution.

To a question, he said under which law, the PTI chairman could be arrested; “if illegal or unconstitutional steps were taken against our leader then we would strongly respond to it.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023