LAHORE/PESHAWAR: The Punjab Assembly on Saturday stood dissolved on its own after Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman did not sign the CM summary.
The governor had decided not to sign the summary, saying that by doing so, there was no fear of any obstacle in the constitutional process. There is a way forward for all matters with clarification in the Constitution and law. Sources say Pervaiz Elahi will take over the post of chief minister till the arrival of a caretaker chief minister. The governor has issued a letter to Elahi and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz for the regular appointment of the caretaker CM. The governor called for an agreed name for caretaker chief minister by 10pm on January 17.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Saturday said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly would be dissolved as and when a green signal was received from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.“We are waiting for the party chief’s order. And it may be my last address as chief minister to you,” said the chief minister while speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected office-bearers of the Peshawar Press Club. “The economic crisis and unprecedented inflation in the country are because of the imported setup at the federal level which has played havoc with the national economy,” he added.
The chief minister condemned the terrorist attack on the Sarband Police Station. “The provincial police force is fighting on the front line. The entire nation stands with the cops who have rendered numerous sacrifices for peace,” he added. The chief minister strongly criticised the federal minister for interior for his ‘ridiculous’ statements against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.
Mahmood Khan termed the steering committee notified by the federal government as unconstitutional and baseless having no legal ground after the 25th Constitutional Amendment. “Appointment of a civil servant as its chairman and the governor as its member is incomprehensible,” he said, adding the notification would be challenged at every level as it was tantamount to usurping the rights of the province.
He said the entire development planning and identification of projects under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) has been carried out by the provincial government. However, the federal government was hesitant in provision of funds, he added.
He criticised the federal government for not providing the budgeted funds of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, adding that huge funds were being provided to MNAs who were part of the PDM under the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Out of the allocated Rs55 billion development budget for the merged districts, only Rs5 billion have been provided so far, which is a clear violation of the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Now, the provincial government is paying salaries and Sehat card funds of the merged districts from its own kitty,” the chief minister added.
Mahmood Khan maintained that the ‘imported’ federal government did not have public confidence and even international donors were hesitant in providing donations.
Commenting on the wheat situation in the province, Mahmood Khan said the annual requirement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 500,000 metric tonnes out of which the province was getting only 120,000 metric tonnes.
He said the hike in wheat prices in other provinces had automatically increased flour prices. “However, the provincial government has increased its daily quota of subsidised wheat to flourmills from 5,000 metric tonnes to 6,500 metric tonnes, which will help substantially in regulating the wheat prices. Moreover, the provincial government is also providing subsidies to the tune of Rs35 billion on wheat for provision of cheap flour to its consumers,” he added.