Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that party chairman Imran Khan has decided to dissolve the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the next few days.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, he said, “Today the party and the party leadership have given Imran Khan the power [to dissolve the assemblies]. Imran Khan now plans to dissolve the assemblies soon so that the process can be completed.” can be carried forward.” Along with top party officials.
Qureshi said that following back-to-back consultative meetings with Khan’s party lawmakers and local leadership, he was “convinced” that the way forward was the dissolution of both assemblies and early elections.
The PTI has been pressuring the coalition government at the Center to hold early elections in light of the “deteriorating economy”, but the previous government did not heed the demand.
Khan had said last week that he would delay dissolving the assemblies if the government decided to hold general elections in March, but the government rejected the offer, saying the elections would be held on time in October 2023. .
But while the PTI is adamant about its demand for early elections, its ally Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi believes that he does not see elections happening in the next four months.
In today’s press, Qureshi said: “We believe that if the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) federal government puts its interests above the state and is not thinking of holding general elections, then Ramadan New governments should be formed in both provinces before.
The former foreign minister said the PTI did not want anarchy in the state and wanted to end the differences over the past eight months, pointing to the party’s deteriorating relationship with the establishment.
Qureshi said that the PTI leadership, including Khan, believes that the current government has lost the confidence of the business community as well as the farmers.
“Growth figures are falling — whether it’s industrial production, private sector investment, or some other indicator — that shows the economy is deteriorating.”
Cash-strapped Pakistan is currently awaiting funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as catastrophic floods, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and currency devaluation have adversely affected Pakistan’s economic situation. .
The Vice Chairman of PTI said that in today’s meeting, the party has also appreciated the Supreme Court’s decision to take suo motu notice of the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.
Qureshi said that a fact-finding report has also been submitted before the five-member bench of the Supreme Court. “We believe that justice must be done in this case and that the human rights violations that are taking place are unprecedented.”
‘No stability without elections’
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan want to disqualify Raja Khan.
“But the people will not accept decisions made behind closed doors. [The government] must move forward accepting the people’s decision. There can be no stability without fresh elections.”
Handling the presser, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said inflation has been skyrocketing in the last eight months – since the fall of the PTI government in April.
He said all financial experts believe that “the economy is in ruins” and the government has no plan on how to revive it.
The PTI leader added that when the Khan-led government was overthrown, the foreign exchange reserves were $16 billion, which is now less than $8 billion.
“There are fears that foreign exchange reserves may fall to $5 billion by the end of December,” he warned, as current reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) could cover only 1.11 months of imports. are
