PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided in principle to postpone the dissolution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa legislature until the fate of the Punjab Assembly was decided, the chief minister said on Thursday.
Last week, Imran Khan, former prime minister and chairperson of the opposition party, announced he would dissolve two provincial assemblies — of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — on Friday, earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to build pressure on the federal government to hold snap elections.
Subsequently, on Monday, following days of politicking, the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance sprang its own trap to limit the options available to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab.
In a double-edged move, Baligh ur-Rehman, the governor, directed the chief minister to obtain a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly on Wednesday, while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) legislators submitted a separate no-trust resolution against him to prevent him from dissolving the house.
Under the law, the chief minister cannot dissolve the assembly if a no-confidence motion has been moved against him, while the governor’s requirement for the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence from the house means he has to ensure that he is able to secure 186 votes.
Mahmood Khan, while speaking to members of the press in Peshawar, said: “Imran Khan will first decide the future of the Punjab Assembly” before deciding the fate of the parliament of the northwestern province.
“Right now, consultation on the matter of the Punjab Assembly is underway. The decision regarding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly will be taken after these discussions.”
More details to follow
