Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Thursday that he would not seek a vote of confidence form the Punjab assembly on Governor Balighur Rehman’s order, terming his directions in this regard as illegal.
“We don’t accept the governor’s order, which is illegal. If I accept his order then it means we are endorsing his [illegal instructions],” he said while answering a question at a press conference in Wazirabad district.
In another twist to the high drama in Punjab’s power echelon, the speaker on Monday brought forward the provincial assembly session by two days – from Jan 11 to Jan 9, causing political circles to spin up a whirlwind of wild speculation about whether Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was getting ready to take a vote of confidence.
The Lahore High Court in its December 28 order, while reinstating PML-Q leader Elahi, had bound the CM through an undertaking not to dissolve the provincial assembly until the next hearing scheduled for January 11.
“However, this order will not preclude the petitioner from taking a vote of confidence on his own accord,” the order read.
The court order had come after Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman de-notified Elahi as the CM of the largest province in a bid to forestall ousted premier Imran Khan’s plan to dissolve the Punjab Assembly.
