After failing to get majority in the National Assembly, the PM dissolved it, declaring his opponents traitors.
He is now finding it difficult to keep control over Punjab. As was the case in the National Assembly Imran Khan had enjoyed a majority on account of the support provided by the establishment. The PM had appointed Usman Buzdar CM because, among other considerations, he was unwilling to hand over Punjab to anyone capable of building a personal support base in the largest province of the country and becoming a threat to him in days to come. This caused heartburning among some of the PTI leaders who had financed the party and worked hard to poach electables from other parties to form PTI governments at the centre and in Punjab. This led them to form groups of their own within the party. As long as the PTI and the establishment remained on the same page, it was easier to keep the dissenters under control, sometime by registering cases against them The dissenters remained within the fold in Punjab till signs of a break between the PTI and the establishment appeared.
The first sign of open rebellion in Punjab by PTI dissenters appeared after the opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against Mr Buzdar. Already rattled by the revolt of over a dozen PTI MNAs, Mr Khan finally decided to drop Mr Buzdar despite having vowed to keep him CM till the end of the PTI tenure. Mr Khan bargained with the PML(Q), promising to hand over Punjab to Ch Pervez Elahi. This led the PTI dissenters to join hands with the opposition.
The hurriedly called meeting of the Punjab Assembly to elect Ch Pervez Elahi CM on Saturday had to be postponed when it was discovered that the PTI did not have enough numbers. The voting on Sunday had again to be postponed to April 16 as the PTI was still found to be short in numbers. On Monday a group of PTI protestors tried to force their way inside a hotel where party dissenters were lodged. The PM also reached Lahore to ensure enough votes for Ch Pervez Elahi.
It remains to be seen how Mr Khan will act if he finds that like the National Assembly, the opposition is in a majority in the Punjab Assembly also. Will he ask the newly inducted Governor, who is a dyed-in-the wool PTI man to declare the majority traitors and dissolve the Punjab Assembly also?
