KP CM Mahmood Khan says ready to dissolve assembly

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan on Thursday said they would move a summary to the governor for dissolution of the provincial legislative assembly after the Punjab Assembly gets dissolved.

“I spoke to my leader and party Chairman Imran Khan in this regard and we agreed to move a summary to the governor to dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly after the notification on the Punjab Assembly dissolution is issued,” the chief minister told The News.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central spokesman Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced that after the Punjab Assembly, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly would be dissolved in 48 hours. Mahmood Khan said it was already decided that the Punjab Assembly would be dissolved first. “Now when the Punjab chief minister has asked for the dissolution of assembly, we will move a summary soon after the notification is issued,” Mahmood Khan explained. He said that a caretaker government would be installed for holding elections after the dissolution of the KP Assembly.

Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, special assistant to the chief minister for information and public relations, told The News that they were likely to move a summary to the governor on Saturday, asking him to dissolve the provincial assembly. “The Punjab chief minister has sent a summary to the governor on Thursday. And by Saturday, 48 hours would have been completed and then we will write to the KP governor to dissolve the assembly,” he added.

Barrister Saif said a caretaker government would be set up in the KP and the Election Commission of Pakistan was required to hold elections within 90 days.

Meanwhile, majority of PTI lawmakers in KP are not in favour of dissolution of the provincial assembly and losing their stable government.

“I don’t know who has advised the party Chairman Imran Khan but it’s not a wise decision. It’s neither in the interests of the party nor in favour of the province. PTI has a stable government in KP and it should have been allowed to continue till the general elections in the country,” a minister told The News.

Pleading anonymity, he said some of their party leaders, who were no longer holding any portfolios following removal of the PTI government in the Centre, were instigating Imran Khan to dissolve the KP Assembly.