File photo of PTI Chairman Imran Khan
Chairing a meeting of parliamentarians from Rawalpindi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday proposed dissolving the Punjab Assembly before the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa legislature, though no final decision has yet been taken.
Since announcing his intent to quit all assemblies last month, Khan and the PTI have been scrambling to deliver on the threat, with senior party leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain maintaining that if the federal government does not announce early elections by Dec. 20, both the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies would be dissolved on Dec. 21. However, this threat has yet to materialize, with Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi—an ally of the PTI belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid)—saying he has advised Khan to wait till March 2023. Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s lawmakers have repeatedly stated they would prefer to see Punjab dissolved before their own assembly.
During Monday’s meeting, the parliamentarians assured Khan they would resign their seats at his behest and suggested dissolving the assemblies in phases, with Punjab preceding Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. However, no final decision was taken, as some lawmakers noted that any phased approach would not put undue pressure on the government and would defeat the aim of “forcing” early general elections nationwide.
According to sources, the PTI chairman also proposed for lawmakers to resolve the matter of pending resignations from the National Assembly by appearing in the Lower House en masse and verifying their resignations before the speaker. The matter was also shelved without any final decision.
Despite the persistent confusion over the dissolution of assemblies, Khan maintained that all lawmakers should ramp up political activities in their constituencies and treat it like an election campaign. The party has also been operating a ‘Mulk Bachao, Election Karo’ campaign, calling for the federal government to dissolve Parliament and proceed to general elections.
Economic crisis
Also on Monday, the PTI chairman chaired a meeting of his economic team at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. In a subsequent televised address, he reiterated his calls for the Pakistan Army to intervene, urging the institution to “seriously think about the prevailing precarious economic situation.” Maintaining that the deteriorating economic situation risked the nation, the state and security institutions, he stressed that the only solution was early elections. The “country’s economy solely depends on political stability,” he emphasized.
Calling on the business community, industrialists, exporters, farmers, and overseas Pakistanis to raise their voices over the economic crisis, he said they would be equally responsible for any potential default if they remained silent. “If I myself see there is no stability in the country for at least three to five years, I will not invest in Pakistan and instead stock up on dollars or buy gold to secure my capital,” he said, adding that overseas Pakistanis would likewise stop using regular banking channels to send remittances due to a widespread disparity in the interbank and open market exchange rates.