Dissolving assemblies was the best strategy, claims Imran

PTI chief says he stands by his statement given about Zardari, not worried by defamation suit

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has claimed that his strategy to dissolve Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assemblies has worked out well as the government is finding itself stuck in a ‘blind alley’.

The former ruling party in the two provinces has dissolved the assemblies last month in a bid to pressure the unity government at the Centre to hold early elections across the country.

Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan had appointed Mohsin Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister in Punjab for a 90-day interim period – a decision that drew vehement criticism from the PTI and its key ally the PML-Q that had already forewarned that any "controversial" appointment would be challenged in the court.

Naqvi’s name was agreed upon in an ECP meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and attended by four members of the commission, besides the ECP secretary and special secretary and ECP director general, law.

With the appointment, PTI Chairman Imran had announced that the party would stage protests throughout the country against Naqvi’s appointment, calling the new appointee “an enemy of the PTI”.

The PTI chief while speaking to senior journalists in Lahore on Wednesday said that if the assemblies were not dissolved, the general elections would not have taken place. “As soon as the assemblies were dissolved, the government had entered a blind alley… dissolving the assemblies was my best strategy. If the elections are not held in 90 days, the Constitution will be violated.”

‘Standing by Zardari onslaught’

Imran further said he is standing by his statement given about PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, adding that the former president is free to file the defamation suit against him as “defamation is claimed by those who themselves have any respect”.

The Pakistan Peoples Party last week exploded in recriminations over Imran Khan’s allegations that Zardari was plotting a “Plan C” with the aid of a terrorist outfit to assassinate him, and announced its decision to take the matter to court.

Sounding alarms that the statements could inflame sentiments and galvanise PTI workers to act against the PPP leadership, the party aimed fire at Imran for potentially ‘dog-whistling’ to extremists and thus intensifying the threat of violence.

Furthermore, the former premier’s accusations also spurred warnings from the PPP’s key ally and the ruling party in the Centre, the PML-N, as it came to its defence against the "baseless and dangerous" allegations.

Imran Khan during today’s media interaction further said that he will start the election campaign after getting well, as he has to go through another medical check-up.

The PTI chief had sustained bullet injuries to his leg during a party rally in November.