Fawad says assemblies will be dissolved in a week or two

PTI leader says ready to take vote of confidence, only waiting for MPAs to return to Pakistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said that both Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies would eventually be dissolved whether it takes a week's time or two.

He was speaking to the media after the Lahore High Court (LHC) reinstated Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as Punjab chief minister after getting assurance from the PTI-allied Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader that he would not dissolve the Punjab Assembly.

"Assemblies will be dissolved no matter what... whether it takes a week or two, they will be dissolved and the country will move towards general elections," he said, adding that the PTI does not agree to the undertaking submitted in the court.

لاہور ہائیکورٹ کے فیصلے کے بعد پی ٹی آئی رہنماؤں کی مکمل پریس کانفرنس pic.twitter.com/MxU9GSPswM

— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 23, 2022

Fawad said that the PTI-led coalition in the province was ready to take the vote of confidence, saying that they may even take it before the January 11 date given by the court.

"We only stated that we are waiting for our MPAs that are not in the country at the moment," he said and added that Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman indulged in misconduct by de-notifying CM Elahi "illegally".

Welcoming LHC's decision, Fawad said that the restoration proves that the governor's notification was unconstitutional and that it had no legal value.

"A 'selected' governor cannot send an elected chief minister home. I request the president to act upon Speaker's letter and initiate proceeding to remove the governor from his post," he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate press briefing, PTI's Mian Aslam said that political stability would only come after general elections and the country would move towards economic stability after political stability.

He said that the governor wrongly interpreted the Constitution while trying to dismiss CM Elahi. "He tried to use his authority like a presidents used to implement Article 58-2B in the past," he added.

کل شب گورنر پنجاب نے ایک شہنشاہ کی طرح آئین، قانون اور جمہوری عمل پر شب خون مار کر پنجاب کے 12 کروڑ عوام کے استحقاق پر شب خون مارا۔ @MMAslamIqbal pic.twitter.com/ukv7dNLSbJ

— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 23, 2022

Earlier, LHC restored Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the provincial chief minister after getting assurance from the PML-Q leader that he would not dissolve the Punjab Assembly.

Headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, a five-member bench heard the petition filed by Elahi challenging Governor Punjab Balighur Rehman’s act of de-notifying him as the provincial chief minister.

Announcing its orders, the court also reinstated the Punjab cabinet after the PTI leader submitted an undertaking that he would not dissolve the provincial assembly until January 11.

The court adjourned its hearing to January 11.