ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday demanded the dissolution of national and provincial assemblies before May 14 amid talks with the government on date for holding general elections of Punjab Assembly, ARY News reported.
Addressing the PTI workers and supporters, the former prime minister said that his party would be ready to move forward with the negotiations if the government dissolves the national and provincial assemblies before May 14.
Imran Khan reiterated that his party does not want to delay the elections, stressing that “we will not accept polls after the budget”.
“If the hope of elections ends, then Pakistan could face a worse situation than Sri Lanka. I am not frightening you; I am just expressing my opinion,” he added.
The PTI chief further said that the government was saying that first, it would pass the budget, and then hold the election, saying that this shows the incumbent rulers’ ‘ill-intention’.
He also announced to hold rallies on May 1st – Labour Day –in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. He said the Lahore rally will be led by himself, Shah Mahmood Qureshi to lead Islamabad rally and Pervez Khattak to lead Peshawar one.
It is pertinent to mention here that delegations of the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held two rounds of talks on holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
During the second round of talks, PTI delegation sought the date for the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) before the budget.
Moreover, the delegation also rejected the government’s plan to conduct general elections in October.
Sources closer to PTI said that the political tensions can be reduced if the government gives a date for NA dissolution. They added that PTI wants significant progress in talks with the government before the next hearing in the Supreme Court (SC).
Imran Khan for govt-PTI talks
Prior to this development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said that negotiations with the coalition government will only go forward if they are willing to dissolve the National Assembly forthwith.
Talking to reporters at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the former prime minister said that he had instructed PTI negotiating team to only talk with the government if they are willing to dissolve the National Assembly now.
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“I have told Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry to only go forward with the talks if the government is willing to dissolve the assembly immediately and hold elections.”
“There is no need to hold a further round of talks if they (govt) repeat the same talk of holding elections in September or October,” he added.
During his informal discussion with the journalists, Imran Khan further said that the “ball” was now in the government’s court on the matter of simultaneous elections.
“If elections are not held on May 14 it means Constitution is torn apart,” said the PTI chief, adding that the Constitution is supreme not the Parliament.
