Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi on Thursday formally advised Governor Balighur Rehman to dissolve the provincial assembly, fulfilling the threat voiced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan two months ago.
“I, Parvez Elahi Chief Minister Punjab, hereby advise you to dissolve the provincial assembly of Punjab,” reads the brief advice sent by the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) leader to the governor. Sharing a copy of the document from his Twitter account, Elahi’s son Moonis said it was a “promise fulfilled” and hoped he would soon see Imran Khan back as prime minister.
Confirming the receipt of the advice in a posting on Twitter, the governor later told media that he would fulfill his responsibilities with a “heavy heart.” Regardless of his decision, claimed PTI Senior Vice President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, the assembly would stand dissolved 48 hours after the governor had received the summary. “If the governor does not accept the advice within that time, the assembly will automatically stand dissolved,” he told media, adding that the PTI-PMLQ alliance would soon write to Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz to sit with Elahi and discuss the appointment of an interim set-up, as required by the Constitution.
To a question, he said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly would be dissolved by next week, reiterating that once both assemblies had been disbanded, 60 percent of the provincial legislatures would have been vacated and there was no justification not to proceed to general elections.
There has been no real response from the opposition in Punjab—which has the government at the center—though Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Attaullah Tarar had earlier said that the government would announce its next strategy after the governor received Elahi’s advice. However, sources within the PMLN have claimed that they would not contest the move and would accept the dissolution of the assembly.