PML-N leader says party is ready for early elections as government works feverishly to take authority back from PTI PM Shehbaz Sharif and PPP’s Asif Zardari mulls over how to defuse Imran’s threat.
LAHORE & ISLAMABAD:
There was a whiff of panic in the air on Tuesday as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prepared to launch its “final assault” and dissolve provincial assemblies. A discernible note of alarm also slipped into coalition partners’ behind-the-scenes meetings held to plot strategy in tandem with a contingency plan if snap polls become an unavoidable reality. The PTI is preparing to launch its “final assault” and dissolve provincial assemblies.
There was a flurry of political activity that was observed, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two separate meetings with the key ally of his government and a huddle with the senior leaders of his party to chart a way out of the dreaded scenario. Both of these meetings were held in an effort to find a solution to the predicament that had been created.
In the meantime, in the province of Punjab, where the party led by Imran is currently in power, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and former federal minister Pervez Khattak met to discuss stepping up the level of preparedness for the upcoming election.
PM Shehbaz discussed PTI head Imran Khan’s threat to dissolve two of the four provincial assembly in a meeting behind closed doors with former president Asif Ali Zardari. The discussion was held in an effort to maintain confidentiality.
According to sources within the ruling alliance, while the two leaders were discussing the overall political situation in the country, they also discussed a two-pronged strategy to defuse the threat of dissolving the assemblies while simultaneously preparing for the ruling alliance’s strategy for the elections.
After the head of the key coalition partner paid a visit to the prime minister at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss the political challenges that have arisen as a result of the PTI chief’s announcement that he would opt out from the “corrupt system” to force snap elections on the ruling alliance, the prime minister lent his ear to the head of the key coalition partner.
In the official statement that was released after the meeting between Shehbaz and Zardari, it was stated that the leaders discussed the political climate, the state of the floods, the rehabilitation of those who had been affected by the floods, and the process of providing aid in preparation for the winter season. It was reported that the two leaders had reached an agreement to hasten the process of providing relief to those affected by the flood.
Furthermore, according to the report, the two leaders talked about difficulties concerning the enhancement of the economy, as well as the alleviation that may be offered to the general populace and the development initiatives.
Committees were established.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz led a meeting of senior party leaders for the consultation on Imran Khan’s announcement to dissolve assemblies. He also formed two committees consisting of federal ministers and lawyers to combat Imran’s move on both the legal and political fronts. Imran Khan has announced that he will dissolve assemblies.
According to information obtained from sources with knowledge of the situation, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah would be given the role of chairman of the political committee, and former Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar will be given the role of head of the legal team.
In addition to Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, the committee will also comprise Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq, and Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb.
In a similar fashion, the legal committee will be made up of attorneys who are affiliated with coalition parties.
Within the next two days, Prime Minister Shehbaz will seek recommendations from both committees. According to further information provided by insiders, the job of holding talks with the coalition partners has been delegated to the political committee.
Posturing in public and voting in elections
According to sources within the ruling coalition, the ruling alliance is acting as if it wants to postpone elections while simultaneously preparing the strategy for the upcoming elections. This is according to reports from sources within the ruling alliance.
A major leader of the PML-N has stated, on the condition that they not be named, that their party is “ready for elections.” The leader of the PML-N challenged the head of the PTI, Imran Khan, saying that Khan shouldn’t waste any time and should promptly dissolve the legislatures. Khan was given the gauntlet.
He stated, “We are ready for elections; no heaven will fall; the most that can happen is that we can lose but that shouldn’t be a reason to stop Imran’s move and prolong polls.” “No heaven will fall; the most that can happen is that we can lose but that shouldn’t be a reason to delay polls.”
He pointed out that there was more buzz over delaying the PTI’s plan of dissolving the assembly in the media than there was inside the party circles, stating that a no-confidence resolution could only delay dissolution for a few days if it doesn’t succeed in stopping the dissolution.
When asked about the possibility of imposing the governor’s rule, he stated that “it is no joke to impose governor’s rule,” explaining that doing so required a great number of grounds, and that even if such a decision were made, it would be difficult to uphold it for an extended period of time because it can be contested, and the courts can overturn it.
In response to a question regarding the possible return of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif before the general elections, he stated that it was the responsibility of the PML-N to decide whether or not to proceed with or without Sharif, and that there would be plenty of time for the party to make a decision regarding this matter.
He stated that “after elections are announced, we would have at least three months to bring back Nawaz Sharif, if needed,” and that this amount of time was “more than enough for us.”
While this was going on, there were members of the ruling coalition who were emphasising the fact that elections would be held on schedule. In reference to recent and previous statements made by the Prime Minister Shehbaz, as well as the position taken by the coalition government that elections would be held on time, they stated that it would be difficult to hold elections without a new census and in a manner that was consistent with the situation in the areas that had been affected by flooding.
Getting Elahi back
In the meantime, a PPP leader commented on the tabling of a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister of Punjab, Pervaiz Elahi. The PPP leader agreed with the PML-N leader’s view that the motion could buy some time for the ruling alliance if it were not passed, and the PPP leader stated that the party leadership was working on regaining the support of the provincial chief.
“If Pervaiz Elahi can go to PTI after Dua-e-Khair, we can hope that he can come back to us as well,” he joked. “If he can go to PTI after Dua-e-Khair, we can hope that he can come back to us.” He was referring to Elahi’s decision to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after accepting the then-united opposition’s offer to become Punjab’s chief minister on the condition that he would support them in the motion of no-confidence against the former prime minister Imran Khan. Elahi had accepted the offer shortly after the PTI was formed.
Others, on the other hand, were of the opinion that Imran would not actually go through with the dissolution of the assembly, and that his announcement was merely meant to serve as a reminder to the influential sectors of the party that it still holds cards and has some leverage that it can use when the time is appropriate.
A leader of the JUI-F stated that Imran’s announcement that the system will be abandoned would turn out to be similar to his prior pronouncements, in which he promised millions of houses and employment. According to the official statement that the JUI-F distributed on Tuesday, it was indicated that “the U-turn master will soon take a U-turn on the dissolution of the assemblies.”
‘Governor’s rule a distant dream’
On the other side, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, sneered at the hints that the administration was planning to impose governor’s rule or introduce a no-trust motion in Punjab. He said that these plans would continue to be “a distant dream” for the opposition.
In addition, he stated that the operations of the provincial legislature would be conducted in accordance with the constitution and not “at the whim of anyone else.”
These comments were made by the chief minister on Tuesday morning, earlier in a meeting with the former minister of the federal government, Pervez Khattak.
Following the dissolution of the provincial parliament, both leaders talked about the present political climate in the country, went over the norms and procedures of the provincial legislature, and discussed any potential legal complications that may arise as a result.
According to Pervaiz Elahi, the opposition had to keep in mind that the regulations and the Constitution would be adhered to in the operation of the provincial legislature.
He brought attention to the fact that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. According to him, Imran has helped the general public become more conscious of the importance of self-esteem.
“The artificial union of 13 political groups is on its deathbed,” he insisted throughout the discussion.
The chief minister stated that inept rulers have wrecked the life of common citizens and that the moment is getting closer for these rulers to begin fighting with each other. The chief minister also stated that the time is getting closer.
In contrast to the existing government in Islamabad, he emphasised that Imran Khan’s politics go beyond his personality and the personal benefits he seeks to achieve. He insisted that “we will continue to support Imran Khan in the same manner that we did in the past.”
