The provincial assembly in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was dissolved yesterday, the second regional government to be brought down by former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan in his drive to force early general elections.
Pakistan has been gripped by political turmoil since Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April last year. He was replaced by a shaky alliance led by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The South Asian nation is facing a severe economic downturn, with rocketing inflation, a major shortage of foreign reserves and lagging bailout talks with international lenders.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali yesterday signed a letter dissolving the assembly “with immediate effect” at the request of the provincial chief minister, who is a senior figure in Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Photo: Reuters
The PTI held a majority or was in a coalition government in two of Pakistan’s four provincial parliaments. The move in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came after the assembly in the most populous province, Punjab, was dissolved late on Saturday by Khan’s coalition partners, on his orders. As per the constitution, fresh elections in both legislatures must be held within three months.
Historically, federal and provincial elections have always been held simultaneously, but the constitution does allow for separate polling dates.
General elections are due no later than the middle of October and Sharif’s government is holding out hope of engineering an economic turnaround to boost its faltering popularity.
“The current government has failed to govern so it’s time they realized their responsibility and go for elections to end this political instability,” PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said.
“We are ready for elections, and we are ready for a street movement as well,” Chaudhry said. “If they don’t call the elections, we will have to go for a street movement.”
Khan still maintains a huge following and has held a series of anti-government demonstrations to rally support for his cause, a platform based mainly on fighting corruption.
The 70-year-old has repeatedly touted claims he was ousted by a US-led “conspiracy.”
His ouster from government came after analysts said he fell out of favor with Pakistan’s military, which has directly ruled the country for about half of its 76-year history, and maintains a strong influence on governance and policy.
In November, Khan was shot and wounded at a party rally. He blamed the assassination bid on Sharif and a senior army intelligence officer.
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