Former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday that the PTI is not competing against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Islamabad local bodies elections but with independent candidates, Aaj News reported.

Addressing the media in Lahore, Fawad said both parties are running away from elections because their politics is over.

“In the local bodies’ elections of Islamabad, where 101 Union Councils Panels will be elected, the PML-N could only field candidates in 30 constituencies, while the PPP did not field a single panel,” Fawad said, adding that the competition in a majority of constituencies is between PTI and independent candidates.

The LG polls are scheduled for December 31 in the federal capital.

Speaking about the dissolution of assemblies, Fawad said in a meeting today, the lawmakers of the Punjab assembly reposed their confidence in Imran Khan’s leadership and gave the mandate to dissolve the assemblies to the PTI chief.

“Today, Imran Khan gave a chance to the federal government to sit with us and work out a framework for the early elections across the country,” Fawad said.

He added that if the government doesn’t want elections in 34 percent of their seats, the PTI will dissolve assemblies and have by-elections in 66 percent of the seats (of KP and Punjab assemblies).

Earlier, in a tweet, Fawad criticised the “vindictive politics” of the government, saying that the transfer of Senator Azam Swati to Quetta is another stain on the human rights record of the courts of Pakistan. He said a 75-year-old senator and lawyer is being disrespected.

The former minister further said that the courts are in the lead in further tarnishing the history of Pakistan, who knows when the judges will realize how important responsibilities Allah has bestowed on them?