PMLN MPAs sign no-trust resolution against Pervaiz Elahi

LAHORE: PMLN MPAs on Tuesday signed a no-trust resolution to be tabled against Chief Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi in the Punjab Assembly in the days to come.

The development came at a consultative meeting held here between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to counter the PTI move to dissolve the Punjab Assembly. The meeting was chaired by PMLN Central Vice President Hamza Shehbaz and attended by PPP’s Hassan Murtaza and MPAs from both the parties. The meeting discussed the way forward and options which could be used to stop Ch Pervaiz Elahi and the PTI from dissolving the Punjab Assembly. Legal aspects were also discussed and both parties decided to have further consultations and share them with each other.

After the meeting, PMLN’s Attaullah Tarar and Hassan Murtaza held a presser. Tarar claimed that most of PTI people were not in favour of dissolving the assemblies and were in contact with the PMLN. He said: “We wanted that the Punjab Assembly complete its constitutional term and demand that courts decide a pending review petition and the case pertaining to the election of the Punjab Assembly speaker.

Answering a question about their action plan, Tarar said further consultations would be held and the decision would be announced soon. He, however, said that every tactic would be used to save the Punjab Assembly from being dissolved. “We will not do anything harmful to political matters, but our preparations are complete. The present political wreckage is not ours but has been thrown on us. They made Pervaiz Elahi the chief minister of the biggest province, who is a bandit. They destroyed the economy by appointing Asad Umar as finance minister.”

He said during the Imran government, not a single development project was initiated. Pakistan came out of FATF risk during the PMLN period while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the flood issue to the international community. Answering another question, he said no one was afraid of the watch thief and the election would be held on time. If the Punjab Assembly was dissolved at Imran Khan’s behest, the Governor’s Rule could be imposed.

Hassan Murtaza said the PMLN had taken its allies into confidence. He said Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz worked hard for democracy and strengthening the institutions. “For the first time, the opposition is asking the government to complete term and the government is trying to dissolve the assembly,” he said, adding that people could clearly see who wanted to weaken the parliamentary system of government. He said thieves, who came through the backdoor, took such paths. The PTI did not talk about its four-year performance and always raised non-issues, i.e. sometimes ciphers and now dissolution of assemblies. “Despite having different mindsets, the PPP and the PMLN are working together to strengthen democracy and this unity will continue to overcome challenges for restoring complete democracy.”

He said governments came and went, but assemblies should complete their terms. He said that under what conditions the CM and the PTI chairman wanted to dissolve assemblies. The current administrative and economic situation in Punjab was bad because of the PTI which “wants to shift this responsibility to us, but we will not let them do this”. “Any change in military leadership does not affect federal and provincial governments,” he concluded.

On the other side, with the joint PTI and PMLQ parliamentary meeting scheduled for Friday, MPAs from both parties have been directed not to travel abroad. Both parties will meet at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam on Friday and the meeting will also be addressed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan through video link. Ch Pervaiz Elahi will chair the meeting which is going to chalk out the strategy for dissolution of the Punjab Assembly.

Apparently, the PTI and the PMLQ seem on the same page over the issue of dissolution of assemblies, but some dissenting voices within the party cadres have also been heard from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Punjab, some PTI leaders want local body elections before quitting the assembly so that the party can have its representation at the grassroots level before the general elections. Moreover, a meeting of PTI leader Ch Fawad Hussain with the US ambassador in Islamabad on Tuesday has also given rise to speculations.

Meanwhile, PTI MPA Seemabia Tahir submitted resignation to the Punjab Assembly speaker. A day ago, Law Minister Khurrem Virk had also announced resigning from the ministry in support of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.