Daily Times

 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said Monday that the party’s leadership has approved the dissolution of assemblies in both provinces.

“As you all know, we are quitting the assemblies. Therefore, the [party’s senior leadership] has approved the decision to dissolve the assemblies,” Chaudhry told media in Lahore. “The date of dissolution will be announced after consultation with the parliamentary party,” he added.

Upping the ante in his drive to force the coalition government into early elections, former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan had on Saturday said he had decided to opt out of a “corrupt system and quit all assemblies”. “My party has decided not to remain part of the current political system and will instead resign from all the assemblies,” the PTI chief had said in his first in-person address at the mammoth rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

In the presser, Chaudhry said that Khan has spoken to Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan and the PTI chief would hold a meeting with CM Elahi later this week. “The meetings of the parliamentary parties of both the assemblies have been summoned for later this week, following which, the assemblies will be dissolved,” he said, adding that PTI would announce the date of the Punjab and KP assemblies’ dissolution in the next two to three days.

“The process of allotting tickets has begun […] 563 seats from across the country will be vacated and elections will be held on them. On Friday, a meeting of the Punjab parliamentary party has been scheduled, while a meeting in KP has been called on Saturday,” Fawad said. “After these meetings, the assemblies will be dissolved,” the PTI leader asserted, saying that the party would also tender resignations in the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies.

“We have written to the National Assembly speaker regarding our resignations as well,” he said.Chaudhry also stated that the opposition would also be invited to hold consultations with the government in both provinces over the formation of the interim government. The PTI leader then called on the government to announce the date for general elections and dissolve the National Assembly. “If you don’t, then PTI will dissolve the assemblies wherever it rules. We are here to save Pakistan and we will save it,” he added.Chaudhry said even if elections are held after seven to eight months, it won’t affect PTI due to its popularity, but the party wishes for political stability – which can only be achieved through early elections. “Therefore, [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] should announce the date for general elections and dissolve the National Assembly.” During the media interaction, Fawad further said that the party’s central leadership condemned the re-arrest of PTI Senator Azam Swati, who was taken into custody on Sunday for allegedly tweeting against senior military officials. The PTI leader said his party workers and supporters had been subjected to “oppression and victimisation” since May this year and criticised the courts for overlooking the alleged torture on party leaders.