LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif has issued instructions to his party for the upcoming general elections, asking leaders to launch a massive mobilization campaign.
Issuing political instructions to the PML-N’s political team in Lahore, the former prime minister asked the party members to start preparing for the general elections, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies. Compete in public, according to the party. sources.
Sources said that Nawaz held online meetings with key leaders of his party and directed them to intensify their political activities ahead of the trust vote in Punjab.
It was decided in the meeting that the Governor’s House and State Guest House will be used for public meetings and the Federal Ministers will also hold open houses to hear public issues and issue orders on the spot for their resolution.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also asked to hold talks with his allies to prevent the PTI from dissolving the Punjab Assembly. In this regard, the Prime Minister recently contacted former President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed the political situation with him.
Meanwhile, the date of the Punjab Assembly meeting on the no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has been changed and it will be held on January 9 instead of January 11.
The Assembly Secretariat has also issued a gazette notification.
Sources say that the upcoming meeting is very important for both PML-N and its allies and PTI and its allies. He said that there is a strong possibility that Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi will take the vote of confidence and if the opposition alliance fails to reach the number of 186, then Imran Khan’s announcement to dissolve the assemblies will be implemented.
Both the PML-N and the PTI are claiming the required numbers to tackle the movement. Currently, Muslim League (N) has 167 members, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has 7 members and Rah Haq Party has 1 member, while 5 independent members are with the opposition and one has not joined any party. That PTI has 180 members. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) 10.
Nationwide protests
On 29 December, the PTI announced the launch of a nationwide protest movement, putting continued pressure on the ruling coalition to hold snap elections. However, the government has ruled out holding early polls and told PTI that the polls cannot be held before October given the current situation – floods, census and new delimitations.
PTI senior vice-president Fawad Chaudhry said on December 29 that “protests against rising inflation, worsening economy and gas shortage will begin across the country from tomorrow.”
In the first phase, Fawad said that PTI members of National and Provincial Assemblies will lead protests in their constituencies across the country for three weeks.
“After three weeks, Imran Khan will join the campaign and the process will continue till this government is overthrown,” the PTI leader asked the nation to join hands with the party.
The announcement to return to the streets comes after the PTI chief announced plans in November to end the Long March in Rawalpindi and dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies, but this has yet to be implemented.
The dissolution of the KP Assembly is related to Punjab, whose dissolution plans were hit a snag last week when the Lahore High Court reinstated Pervez Elahi as Punjab chief minister and ordered him not to dissolve the legislature.
