LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim Leaque Quaid- e-Azam (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said that his party has fulfilled its commitment to former premier Imran Khan by dissolving the provincial assembly despite conflicting statements by people in the opposite camp. He claimed that the PTI offered his son Moonis the presidency.
While talking to journalists in Lahore on Sunday the former chief minister said that it was initially said that PML-Q would back out of dissolving the assembly, but I assured Imran that this was our commitment to him and we stood by it. They offered to give Moonis the presidency but we bluntly refused because we didn’t want it to look like this was a trade. There was no trade we dissolved the assemblies because we trust Imran and know that he is capable of leading the country, he asserted.
Talking about the appointment of the caretaker chief minister, Elahi said that after consultation we will finalize the names for the caretaker set up. Three names will be given to the governor after mutual understanding and detail consultation, he added.
He claimed that during the upcoming polls, the PML-N would be hiding its face because it had been completely exposed now. This is the reason Nawaz has refused to return to Pakistan, he said, adding that the PML-N supremo had realized that his party would be defeated.
Elahi said “I stand by Imran’s statement we took a vote of confidence, now it is time for Shehbaz to take a vote of confidence.” He said, referring to the PTI chief’s statement last night in which he had said that the prime minister will be tested through a confidence vote in a tit-for-tat move similar to the one he himself had faced as the premier in April.
Elahi stated that when Shehbaz would have to undertake a confidence vote, cracks would appear in the coalition government.
It may be mentioned here that on Thursday, after much ado, Elahi signed a summary to dissolve the Punjab Assembly. In a brief one-line advice addressed to Governor Balighur Rehman, Elahi said: “I Parvez Elahi, chief minister of Punjab, hereby, advise you to dissolve the provincial assembly.”
On Saturday, the provincial assembly automatically dissolved after Governor refused to sign Elahi’s summary.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023