‘Caretaker set-up’ in Punjab soon

Elahi to forward a few names for the caretaker set-up as talks with Punjab Assembly opp leader Hamza Shahbaz begin

LAHORE:

PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday revealed that Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi would be forwarding a few names for the caretaker set-up as talks with the leader of opposition in the PA Hamza Shahbaz were to begin.

“We hope he (Elahi) sends the names of those who are able to carry out free and fair elections,” he said.

He also demanded of Punjab Governor Governor Balighur Rehman to dissolve the Punjab Assembly (PA) forthwith instead of waiting for the 48-hour deadline to pass

The demand was made by Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chaudhry Fawad Hussain.

“We advise the governor to not wait 48 hours and to sign the summary already,” Chaudhry said while speaking to the media outside former prime minister Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

The remarks come a day after Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, hours after regaining the confidence of a majority of lawmakers in PA, formally advised the governor to dissolve the provincial legislature.

The move capped weeks of speculation, legal wrangling and a public spectacle of the differences between the ruling allies in Punjab — the PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) — over whether the assembly would be disbanded or not.

Reiterating their party stance on assembly dissolution, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders pledged allegiance to make it happen as they were all headed to party chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore.

Chaudhry said, “We spoke to them on the phone, they have prepared the advice to dissolve the KP Assembly.”

The remarks come a day after Punjab CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, hours after regaining the confidence of a majority of lawmakers in PA, formally advised the governor to dissolve the provincial legislature.

On the other hand PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded that the elections should be held across the country without any further delay because snap polls were the sole solution to the prevailing untold problems facing the country.

Qureshi, in a statement issued from PTI Central Media Department on Friday, said that Punjab Assembly has been dissolved on the instructions of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, because the PTI’s position is very simple that free, fair and immediate general elections were the sole answer to the current crises.

He said that the stance of the PTI was very simple that the only solution to the country's problems and the best reflection of public aspirations was possible only in the form of new elections.