Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the government wants to get election results to its liking and for this purpose a controversial person has been appointed in Punjab. In a statement, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said they had no intention return to National Assembly; however, the government wants a friendly opposition leader.
The PTI wants free and transparent elections but PDM will leave no stone unturned to delay elections, he added. Mr Qureshi said opposition in Punjab proposed unreasonable names for Punjab caretaker CM. All this is happening according to a plan and we are not oblivious to it, he said. The PTI leader argued that the constitution requires announcement of date of the elections when assemblies are dissolved, but the electoral watchdog failed to do so and PTI intends to challenge the ECP’s decisions.
On the other hand PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday cried foul after reports regarding National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepting the resignations of more PTI lawmakers emerged on media. Reacting to the development, Chaudhry tweeted that the purpose of PTI members going back to the assembly was to oust Raja Riaz from the position of the opposition leader.
Otherwise, we have no reason to return to the National Assembly, he tweeted, adding: “Right now, Shehbaz Sharif and his government have lost the support of 172 lawmakers.” He also pointed out that 40 per cent of seats in the NA were now empty. “The only solution to this crisis is elections.” Today’s development comes a day after 45 PTI MNAs sent their handwritten withdrawals to the speaker via email and demanded the nomination of a new opposition leader from among them.
The PTI members also met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and informed him about their decision to return to the National Assembly after nine months. A total of 131 MNAs had submitted resignations minutes before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister in April.
