ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday announced his party would dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies on December 23, in a fresh attempt to pressure the federal government into announcing a snap election.
Khan, who was ousted from power in a no-trust vote in April, has refused to accept the government of PM Shehbaz Sharif, which he says was cobbled through a parliamentary vote and not voted to power by the masses.
Blaming his ouster on a United States-backed "foreign conspiracy," the ex-premier has since been agitating against the government and has held several rallies, demanding snap polls in the country.
Khan last month announced dissolving the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies, which are ruled by his party and allies, to dissociate him and his supporters from a "corrupt system."
"We have decided, and I am thankful to the two chief ministers, we have decided that we will dissolve both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies next Friday," Khan announced in a televised address alongside the Punjab and KP chief ministers.
"And then we will prepare for the elections."
After dissolving the provincial legislatures, the ex-premier said, his party's lawmakers would go the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan parliament, and demand the speaker accept their resignations on 123 seats, which were tendered a day after Khan's ouster on April 10.
Khan said he decided to "sacrifice" the two provincial assemblies for the sake of the country and urged the masses not to be disappointed, reassuring them the country would emerge out of the present crises after "major and difficult decisions are made."
Supporters of ex-PM Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party gather at the Liberty roundabout in Lahore, Pakistan, on December 17, 2022. (Photo courtesy: @ShehryarReal/Twitter)
Pakistan, a country of around 225 million people, has been witnessing political instability for months that has taken a toll on an already frail South Asian economy, widening its current account deficit, decreasing forex reserves and plunging local currency to record lows.
A delay in the ninth review of Pakistan’s loan program by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stalled since September, has made the matters worse for the country.
Khan's decision to dissolve the provincial legislatures has been met with criticism by the PM Sharif-led ruling coalition, which refuses to accept his demand of a countrywide election.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb criticized the former prime minister for trying to create political instability in the country.
"Dissolve assemblies! Dissolution of assemblies takes courage, not dates, Imran Khan sahib," she dared Khan at a press conference Saturday night.
"They only tell lies; they won't dissolve assemblies. The people of Pakistan have come to know this all."
Aurangzeb said there is a constitutional term for elections in the country and nationwide polls are scheduled in October 2023, after the current National Assembly completes its term in August next year.
"Whoever will try to sabotage it, we have all options open and God willing, [we] will face them," she said.
Earlier on Saturday, PM Sharif also called for political stability in the country, saying it was a “basic condition” to rescue people from soaring inflation.
The Sharif government has previously said that it would contest elections for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, if the PTI moved forward with its decision to dissolve the provincial legislatures, and that nationwide polls would be held late next year as per schedule.
