PML-N told to gear up for polls if PAs dissolved

Party decides to mobilise workers in Punjab, K-P

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is looking forward to establish a national presence as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the party leadership on Sunday to mobilise workers across the country, especially in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), if the two provincial assemblies are dissolved.

Amid frequent threatening calls from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership that Punjab and K-P assemblies would be dissolved this month, if the government did not give the date of early elections, the PML-N is gearing up for fresh election in two provinces, should PTI Chairman Imran Khan acted on his threat.

Prime Minister Shehbaz, who is also the president of the PML-N, directed the party leadership to step up their efforts and mobilise the party workers. PML-N sources said that Shehbaz’s direction came as PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was expected to return to the country and lead the party’s election campaign.
“We have to build up the momentum before Mian Sahib [Nawaz Sharif] comes back to Pakistan and lead the election campaign,” a PML-N leader said, stressing that the party was ready to contest the elections whenever they were called.

Commenting on the PTI chairman’s repeated ultimatums of dissolving the Punjab and the K-P assemblies if the government did not announce the date of fresh elections in the country, the PML-N leader said that the party was working on two plans simultaneously.

“Initially the party leadership had thought that it could stop the PTI from doing so [dissolution of the assemblies], but now things have changed a bit,” he said. “The party is simultaneously working to block the PTI’s way in assembly and get ready for elections, if imposed by PTI in two provinces.”

Since November 26, Imran had been saying that he would go for the dissolution of the assemblies to force elections. However, after initially going on back foot, the PML-N-led coalition government has taken a firm stance that it is ready for elections in Punjab and K-P if both the assemblies are dissolved.

Since then, the PML-N and the PTI have been crossing swords with each other on the issue. The PTI upped the ante recently, giving the date of December 20 for meeting their demand, while the PML-N keeps on throwing gauntlet to the former ruling party to go ahead with its decision.

Imran has been demanding fresh elections since his ouster through a vote of no-confidence in April. He argues that a dwindling economy and other key issues facing the country would only be settled once a government with fresh mandate comes to power.

However, PML-N and its coalition partners have ruled out snap polls, saying that they had taken some “tough decisions” to save the country from default and needed some time to mould public opinion back in their favour before the country goes for general elections.

Though the ruling alliance wishes to complete the remaining constitutional term of the assemblies, it is also busy shunning the impression that it was afraid of elections despite the PTI’s winning streak in the recent by-elections.

According to a PML-N statement, Shehbaz directed the party leadership to start a series of nationwide workers’ conventions in phases. In the wake of the instructions from the PML-N president, the party issued a schedule for holding the convention from December 11 to 17.

Accordingly, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had been assigned the responsibility of holding the convention in Islamabad on December 13. A day later, Khawaja Imran Nazir will make arrangements for such gathering in Lahore and Mian Javed Latif will organise the convention in Sheikhupura on December 15.

The party’s schedule indicates that another convention will be held in Kasur on December 16, which will be arranged by Malik Ahmad Khan, while on December 17, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will host the workers convention in Faisalabad.

Information Minister and a senior PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the general elections will take place after August 2023 yet the party is ready for fresh elections if the PTI dissolved the assemblies. Later on, Rana Sanaullah challenged Imran to dissolve assemblies instead of giving threats.

Despite challenging the PTI to go ahead with its decision, the PML-N and the ruling coalition have also expressed their willingness for talks with the PTI if no prior conditions are attached to it.