Pakistan: Former PM Imran directs PTI lawmakers to step up preparations for general elections

International

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday instructed the party’s lawmakers and ticketholders to speed up their preparations for the next general elections.

Talking to PTI lawmakers from Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and Sialkot along with ticket holders of Gujranwala, Imran asked them to devise a comprehensive political strategy and be fully prepared for the next electoral battle, according to a statement issued by PTI.

The central and regional leaders of PTI were also present in the meeting.

The country’s political situation, PTI’s political strategy and future plan of action were discussed in in detail during the meeting, the statement added.

On the occasion, the members of the assembly full supported and endorsed the announcement of the dissolution of the assemblies and resignations from the houses.

Last week PTI chief gave the federal government an ultimatum to either “sit and talk and give a date for the general elections” or “we will dissolve the assemblies”.

A day earlier, PTI senior leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that his party desired that new provincial governments be formed before Ramazan next year following the dissolution of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies.

“Imran Khan intends to dissolve K-P and Punjab assemblies in the next few days so that the entire process can move forward. The PTI leadership has given Imran Khan the right to dissolve assemblies,” he said while addressing the media following a meeting between the senior leadership of PTI with the former prime minister.

“If the federal government of PDM wants to give priority to its own interest over the country’s, and does not want to move towards general elections and further sink the country in the process, then it is their decision. We desire that the process of elections gets completed in Punjab and K-P before Ramazan,” he stated.

Qureshi said that Imran took everyone into confidence about his decision during the meeting, adding that the only solution to the current problems the country was facing was early elections.__Tribune.com