AMRAIZ KHAN
The outcome of PTI Long March in Rawalpindi led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan to dissolve Assemblies and come out of them was an announcement, decision, threat or a face-saving tactic.
It was being considered in opposition circles that the Long march was meant for building pressure for appointment of the Army Chief of Khan’s choice.
Then all of a sudden venue of the long march was changed from Islamabad to Rawalpindi. Peoples were also anxious to know about the future strategy of Mr. Khan to be announced in the long march.
Then there was a general perception among the masses that Khan will convert his long march into a long sit-in like the past in the year 2014 when he asked people to stay in Islamabad for 126 days against then Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s government.
But nothing happened like that and surprisingly Khan announced that he changed his decision to go to Islamabad only for the reason that there would be bloodshed if such a large number of people enter Islamabad.
Secondly, he announced that he will ask his party’s Chief Ministers to dissolve assemblies in their respective provinces and will direct all parliamentarians to resign from their respective assemblies. He further said that he will further consult with his party’s parliamentary committee in this regard and then he will announce that when they are coming out of the assemblies.
As per former Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry ‘as a result of the resignations of Tehreek-e-Insaf, 123 seats in the National Assembly, 297 seats in the Punjab Assembly, 115 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 26 seats in Sindh Assembly and two seats in Balochistan, i.e. a total of 563 seats will fall vacant and the government will have to conduct by-elections on above-said seats.
Fawad Chaudhry said that ‘why are Rana Sanaullah and company sweating in the name of elections’.
He said that ‘Imran Khan has confidence in the people that they are going to the elections after dissolving their governments, no other method can bring political stability in the country except elections, let’s go to the elections, he maintained. Doubts are also being expressed by the different circles whether the Punjab Chief Minister, Parvez Elahi will decide to dissolve the assemblies or not.
It should be clear that in practice, Tehreek-e-Insaf has a provincial government in Punjab where their ministers and advisors are present, while the number of members of Muslim League-Q is only ten. In addition to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there is a Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, which has no effect on the federal government, but Imran Khan’s announcement to withdraw from all assemblies may also affect these two assemblies.
According to the interior minister, Rana Sana Ullah took to the tweeter and said, “A motion of no confidence can be brought in the provincial assemblies at any time without wasting time. As a result, the provincial assemblies will not be dissolved but will continue to exist. The opposition clearly has the numbers to form the government in Punjab province”.
He is of the view that this is a confession of defeat by Imran Khan since a program made seven months ago to pressurize and blackmail has failed miserably. He said the situation of ‘Pindi Mein Samudra Laeon Gaa’ is in front and clear for all to see.
There are reports that the current ruling coalition PDM wants a change in Punjab soon. According to sources, the ruling coalition wants to take back power and authority from Tehreek-e-Insaaf in Punjab and then ‘manipulate’ the elections to be held after ten months in their favor.
