Qureshi expects fresh election for CM’s slot

MULTAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said Hamza Shehbaz’s election as Punjab chief minister can be declared null and void as he is hoping that the Lahore High court will order a fresh election for the CM slot.

Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, he said a new constitutional crisis was in the offing in Punjab and the Punjab administration should not be partial in the present situation. The Punjab administration should perform within the ambit of law and Constitution. An unnatural political alliance was formed to oust the PTI government and now cracks had appeared in the 13-party alliance.

He said Maulana Fazlur Rehman had recorded his protest with Shehbaz Sharif over the interest system and rejected the results of local government elections in Sindh. The MQM also had serious reservations against the government for ignoring it and failing to fulfill commitments made with it.

Qureshi said Shehbaz Sharif might be in trouble after the allied parties quit the alliance. All the allied parties rejected local government polls and expressed no confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

He said inflation had taken its toll on people. The government was ruling with only two votes. Protests were being held in Multan and Karachi against load-shedding and people were fed up with the government.

Qureshi said Imran Khan would raise his voice to show solidarity with people affected by load-shedding. In Multan, 16-hour load-shedding was being done in rural areas and petrol was likely to become more expensive in July. The burden of 10pc super tax would increase people’s misery.

He said the coalition government had come up with a programme of destruction as it increased the price of Sui gas by 45pc. The dollar had also become more expensive and billions of rupees of investors had drowned.

The salaried class had been given a 15pc raise, but a burden of Rs 80 billion had been imposed on them. He said the country was heading for bankruptcy and the government had no economic plan.