Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the “establishment” will not help Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan get a general election date as the party confronts the incumbent government.
In his address on the first day, the PTI chief announced that he would announce the date of dissolution of both the Assemblies – Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – on December 17 (Saturday).
“Once we dissolve the two assemblies, we will hold elections in the provinces. Also, our 123-125 members of the National Assembly – whose resignations have not been accepted – will be the speaker within the assembly,” Khan said. will be asked to accept their resignations.”
In response, Interior minister challenged Khan to dissolve the assemblies so that “we can end this”.
“We [the federal government] will hold elections for the assemblies that they will dissolve, and we will hold by-elections for the seats that will be vacant after their resignations,” Sanaullah said.
Denying that the government is worried about the outcome if elections are held, the minister said he is confident of the ruling coalition’s victory in Punjab and other provinces.
“I think he [Khan] can extend the matter till February March. However, I don’t want him to delay it further. Let’s end this uncertainty,” the minister added. The interior added.
No 2018-like ‘facilities’
Sanaullah also asserted that the PTI would not have the “facilities” that were provided during the 2018 general elections. And I can assure you that Imran Khan has neither pressured the government nor the establishment.
If the country goes to polls, the interior minister said, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will lead the party’s election campaign.
Sources told JEE News last week that Nawaz Sharif will be requested to return to Pakistan immediately if the assemblies are dissolved.
Sanaullah said that I also want Imran Khan not to announce the date of dissolution of the assemblies on December 17 but to announce the dissolution of the assemblies. has been buried.”
‘Default Campaign’
Defending the government’s stand of not dissolving the National Assembly, the minister said that the rulers want to stay in power for the betterment of the country because of the difficult task on the economic front.
“We have already weathered all the political setbacks,” he said, adding that the ruling coalition was focusing on strategies to ensure stability.
Sanaullah said that if the federal government goes home and a caretaker setup is formed, then the 90 days – during which the entire polling process takes place – will “hurt the country a lot”.
The minister also accused the PTI chief of running a “campaign to default Pakistan” – as markets are muted due to continued political instability.
Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also fears that the path Pakistan is on could lead the country to default, but Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has assured that nothing will happen.
