LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the legal status of defecting lawmakers’ votes, both the PML-N-led federal and Punjab governments have lost the majority in the parliament, and thus stand dissolved.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Sharif should step down and announce immediate elections,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Tuesday.
He further said that the Supreme Court’s verdict was historic, adding “it has taken a big step to stop horse trading in the country”.
“The Supreme Court’s opinion on the presidential reference should be seen as a decision and thus it is binding on all the institutions. The most important aspect of the decision in political terms is that the Supreme Court has accepted the PTI’s point of view that the votes of defectors will not be counted. These people will also face lifetime disqualification,” he said.
Fawad steps up criticism of federal, Punjab govts
He pointed out that after the verdict both PM Shehbaz and Hamza Sharif have lost their majority in the National and Punjab assemblies and thus their governments stand dissolved.
He claimed that in the Centre three members of the PML-N have defected and thus it only has the support of 169 MNAs while in Punjab after the decision the votes of the deviant members will not be counted, and hence the PML-N-led governments have lost the majority. “When the President asks the Prime Minister to get a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, he will not have the required numbers,” he added.
“Since no party has the majority in the National Assembly, I request the President to dissolve the Assembly and announce new elections. Today’s decision means that Pakistan is moving towards fresh elections,” he added. He further said that the real victory belongs to the millions of people who supported Imran Khan and stood by their leader and believed in him. To a question, he said that until a date for the new elections is announced, the PTI’s ‘long march’ and other activities will continue. To another question, he said that the Election Commissioner should be changed; “new elections under him will not be acceptable to them, and added that the fresh elections are in the interest of all political parties since none of them has the majority in the National Assembly.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022