Shujaat rules out PA dissolution, snap polls

JUI-F team calls on PML-Q chief to discuss economic, political issues as well as flour shortage

LAHORE:

PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday said neither the Punjab Assembly would be dissolved, nor was there any possibility of snap polls taking place in the country.

His remarks came during a meeting with JUI-F General Secretary Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri who, along with a party delegation, met with the PML-Q chief at his residence in Lahore.

The JUI-F delegation informed Shujaat about the problems being faced by the people in Balochistan, especially the shortage of wheat flour.

The economic and political issues of the country were also discussed in the meeting.

Shujaat assured the JUI-F delegation that neither would the Punjab Assembly be dissolved, nor would there be snap polls in the country.

On the issue of the rising flour prices, the PML-Q chief said it was the duty of the provincial governments to take action on the increasing cost of daily necessities.

He said the common people were extremely worried about the rising prices of flour, adding that all leaders should prefer to solve the country’s problems, especially the rising inflation, instead of verbally wrangling every now and then.

The PTI has decided not to dissolve the Punjab Assembly until the outcome of the Lahore High Court’s hearing in Chief Minister Parvez Elahi’s de-notification case.

On December 23, the LHC restored Elahi as the chief minister after Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman de-notified him for failing to take a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly.

However, the LHC suspended the governor’s notification after Elahi’s  undertaking that he would not dissolve the assembly before the next hearing on January 11.

During a meeting with the senior party leaders in Lahore on Saturday, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said the Punjab CM’s vote of confidence was subject to the LHC's decision on January 11.

He asked them to remain prepared for a vote of confidence in case the court ordered Elahi to take it.

Elahi has been trying to convince the PTI that the dissolution of the assembly would not help in compelling the ruling alliance in the Centre to hold early general elections.

This approach, however, is not going down well with the PTI leadership as it is growing resentful of the PML-Q’s desire to stay in power instead of dissolving the assembly.

Before linking its decision with that of the LHC, the PTI had conveyed to Elahi that in case the dissolution of the provincial assembly was delayed, its MPAs would quit the government as well as the legislature.

In the Punjab Assembly, now the issue was not between the PTI and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a PTI leader was quoted as saying in this newspaper earlier.

He added that “it [the issue] is between the PTI and PML-Q”.

Since his ouster through a vote of no-confidence and en masse resignations of party members from the National Assembly in April last year, the PTI chief has been trying every trick in his book to force early general elections but to no avail.

On November 26 last year, Imran announced that the PTI would dissolve the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.

However, he has not been able to do so yet because of different hurdles created by the Elahi faction within the PML-Q and the federal government.

The matter is now pending before the LHC, which has provided all sides an opportunity to review their decisions before the court issued a final verdict in the case.