President Arif Alvi Wednesday called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan amid the ongoing political turmoil in Punjab.
The president called on the former prime minister to discuss the meetings he held with Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar and other federal ministers. Both leaders also exchanged views on decisions taken by the PTI’s senior leadership in Wednesday meeting and the party’s ally, PML-Q. Meanwhile, Imran Khan on Wednesday said that it was his party’s constitutional right to dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies. The comment by the PTI chief comes after PPP and PML-N lawmakers submitted a no-confidence motion against PTI-allied Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi in a bid to forestall the dissolution of the provincial assembly. Later, the government announced that Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman would de-notify CM Elahi if he does not take a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly.
Talking to a delegation of lawyers at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Imran said that the country cannot progress until there is rule of law. “In order to get out of the slavery of the United States, the justice system must be restored and all institutions must work within their limits,” he added. He once again accused former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of being responsible for the current economic crisis in the country. Imran said that dissolving assemblies was the PTI’s constitutional right.
However, the lawyers briefed the former premier that the Punjab governor’s move to direct the chief minister to take vote of confidence was illegal. However, the PTI and its allies claim that the move by the PML-N and PTI to oust the Punjab chief minister is illegal and only an attempt to avoid general elections. PTI leader and former minister Hammad Azhar said on Wednesday that the party has decided to hold a gathering outside the Punjab Governor House on Thursday (today), in which Imran Khan will address the party’s supporters and announce a new “plan of action”. “Attempts are being made to disrespect the PTI mandate […] our MPAs are getting telephone calls and money of the Zardari rule is being used for games in Punjab,” he said.
