Says PTI MPS will go back to NA and ask speaker to accept their resignations
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that he will announce the date for the dissolution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies on December 17.
“I have completed consultations with the party and we have decided that in a gathering at Lahore’s Liberty Chowk, I will give my nation the date for the dissolution of the KP and Punjab assemblies,” he said in an address to the nation.
Last month, Imran announced that his party would disassociate itself from the “current corrupt political system” by quitting the assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
In his address on Wednesday, the former premier said that the dissolution of assemblies would pave the way for elections.
“The law says that as soon as assemblies are dissolved, elections should be held within 90 days. So on Dec 17, I will give the date and after that 70 per cent of the country will go into election mode.
“Logically, if elections are held in 70pc of the country […] then they might just hold general elections. But it is our misfortune that criminals are sitting [in the government] and they don’t care about the country,” he said.
Imran claimed that the government was waiting for “round three of looting the country” and was “in no mood for elections” due to the fear of losing. “Their interests and the nation’s interests are on opposing ends.”
Along with the dissolution of assemblies, PTI lawmakers would also go to the National Assembly and demand the acceptance of their resignations from the speaker, he added.
At the outset of his address, Imran warned that Pakistan’s economy was heading toward destruction because there was no justice in the country.
“In my 70 years of life, I have never before witnessed what is happening in Pakistan today […] the shameful way big cases of criminals are being closed […] such things don’t even happen in banana republics.
“Big criminals who were convicted are returning one by one as cases against them are being scrapped. And all of this is happening under NRO 2,” the PTI chief claimed.
He gave the example of the return of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son to Pakistan, saying Suleman should first provide details of the corruption scandal against him.
“Today, I want to tell my nation that I have been saying these things for the last 26 years […] I have been saying that the reason why corruption and these mafias exist in Pakistan is the lack of rule of law,” Imran stressed.
Imran went on to say that it was important for all the stakeholders — including the establishment and judiciary — to realise that Pakistan’s economy was standing at a crucial point today.
There is inflation, unemployment, industries are closing down and the markets have lost confidence in the government, he said.
“I want to say this to all the institutions today […] what is happening today will affect all of you […] the entire country will go down and if that happens, national security will be impacted the most.”
