Majority of PTI leadership unhappy with Imran’s intention to dissolve Punjab Assembly first: report

• PTI leaders say both assemblies should be dissolved simultaneously.
• They insist holding local bodies elections will benefit party.
• Dissolving PA first will create a very negative impression, they say

LAHORE: PTI's senior lot is not too happy with Chairman Imran Khan’s intention to dissolve the Punjab Assembly before Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s, The News reported Wednesday citing unnamed party sources.

When contacted for their comments on the possible dissolution of the Punjab Assembly this month preceding the KP Assembly, most of the senior figures, including MPAs and ministers, opined that dissolving the Punjab Assembly before KP would create a very negative impression on the party’s voters because it would mean depriving them of their right to development, welfare and other projects which were still in the process of completion.

“Why Punjab first? If the assemblies are to be dissolved, both KP and Punjab assemblies should go simultaneously and the decision should not be Punjab-specific,” a senior office-bearer told the publication, requesting anonymity.

Another PTI member, who spoke on the matter anonymously, said the wise idea was to wait and buy time rather than take a wrong turn.

Sources said a lot of the PTI parliamentarians were of the view that the party should also hold local government elections while keeping the reigns of the provincial administration, as the party was still in a comfortable position to win representation at the grassroots level through the local bodies.

They believe once the party gains control of the local governments, it would have its representation at the LG level for the next four years and a good local bodies’ result will also create a good impact on the electorate in the 2023 general elections.

On the other hand, the PTI Lahore chapter is regularly holding rallies and demanding fresh polls.

This week, PTI leaders, including MNAs Hammad Azhar, Shafqat Mehmood, Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, MPAs Malik Zaheer Khokhar and Shabbir Gujjar, have led rallies in their respective constituencies and supported Imran Khan’s stance of fresh polls publicly.

PTI to announce date in Lahore rally

Meanwhile, Mian Aslam Iqbal has disclosed that Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has handed over a signed summary of the Punjab Assembly dissolution to Imran Khan. 

Talking to a private TV channel, the provincial minister said the assembly could be dissolved anytime and an announcement in this regard was likely to be made in a public meeting at Liberty Chowk, Lahore, this week.