CM advises dissolution of K-P Assembly

Process for caretaker setup hits deadlock in Punjab

LAHORE/PESHAWAR:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan sent advice to Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Tuesday to dissolve the provincial assembly, three days after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, where the process of installing the caretaker setup hit deadlock.

The chief minister signed the summary under Article 112(1) of the Constitution on the instructions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. It is learnt that the governor would not sign the summary, hence the assembly would get dissolved automatically after 48 hours – Thursday night.

“I, Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in pursuance of provisions of Article 112(1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, do hereby forward my advice for dissolution of Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 17th January, 2023 at 2100 hours,” the summary said.

The dissolution of the K-P Assembly comes days after the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, also on the instruction of Imran. The PTI chief had announced on November 26 at the culmination of the Haqeeqi Azadi March that he would dissolve the two provincial assemblies, where the PTI was at the helm.

After sending the advice, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said that he had signed the summary on Imran Khan's order. He added that he was a soldier of Imran Khan and sacrificing the government was insignificant. “Imran Khan's order is followed,” he said.

The dissolution of the assembly would trigger the process of consultation between the outgoing chief minister and the opposition leader for installing an interim government. Sources have said that both sides were preparing the list of their nominees for the caretaker chief minister.

In Punjab, the assembly stood dissolved on Saturday night, 48 hours after the advice sent by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi. Governor Balighur Rehman had refused to sign the summary, saying that he did not wish to be a part of the dissolution process before the assembly completed its term.

In the province, outgoing Chief Minister Elahi and Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could not agree on any person to be appointed the caretaker chief minister “within the stipulated timeframe in terms of Article 224(1A) of the Constitution”.

On Tuesday, Governor Balighur Rehman wrote a letter to the speaker of the dissolved assembly, Sibtain Khan, to form a parliamentary committee to break the deadlock. “You [the speaker] are hereby required to fulfil your obligation in the manner prescribed in Article 224A(2)”, Rehman wrote in his letter to Khan.
A day earlier, Elahi had officially proposed three potential candidates for the post of Punjab caretaker chief minister to the governor.

Elahi had proposed the names of Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera, Nasir Mahmood Khosa and Muhammad Naseer Khan for appointment as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, while Hamza proposed the names of Syed Mohsin Akhtar Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema. He also rejected the names suggested by Elahi.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted that Prime Minister Shehbaz had spoken with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-Quaid President Chaudhry Shujaat by the phone.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told the media in Lahore that the names put forward by the PML-N were “non-serious”. However, he added that the names proposed by his party and Elahi were “serious”. “We think that consensus should be developed on those names,” the PTI leader said.