Screengrab of the meeting with PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari and PMLQ’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
With the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) maintaining that it will dissolve the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies if the federal government does not agree to early elections, members of the ruling coalition are continuing meetings to deliberate on their next steps if the dissolution threat materializes.
In this regard, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari met Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Lahore on Monday, and discussed matters of “mutual interest,” according to a statement. It said that the two party leaders had also discussed the country’s overall situation, with a particular focus on the prevailing political scenario in Punjab, a potential dissolution of the provincial assembly and other relevant matters.
The meeting, per the statement, was also attended by federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema of the PMLQ and Rukhsana Bangash of the PPP.
According to sources, the ruling coalition does not feel that PTI chief Imran Khan is serious about dissolving the assemblies, as it would render him “powerless” during the interim setup that must precede fresh polls. Meanwhile, several ministers told media that the ruling coalition was willing to conduct dialogue with the PTI—if the offer did not come with any preconditions, including the demand for early general elections. According to local media, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed members of his party and allied parties to “go slow” on seeking a change of government in Punjab through a vote of confidence, stressing that some “confidence-building measures” are needed to encourage dialogue.
This follows remarks by Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi—of the PMLQ—rubbishing calls for dissolution of the provincial assembly this month. In an interview conducted over the weekend, he said he did not feel the assembly could be dissolved before March 2023, stressing that this would provide PTI chief Imran Khan sufficient time to recover from his injuries and lead the electoral campaign for his party. However, on Monday, PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told media that his party was aiming to dissolve both the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkwha assemblies on Dec. 21 if the ruling coalition did not agree to talks by Dec. 20.