Imran Khan determined to dissolve KP, Punjab assemblies: Qureshi

PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Wednesday that party chairman Imran Khan was determined to dissolve assemblies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab within the next few days.

“In a meeting with the party leadership today, Imran said that snap polls were the only way forward […] and for this, the dissolution of assemblies is very important,” the former minister told reporters in Lahore.

"Today, the party and the party's leadership has given the authority to Imran Khan (for the assembly's dissolution). Imran Khan now intends to dissolve the assemblies soon so that the process can be taken forward," he said

Qureshi said as a result of Khan's back-to-back consultative meetings with the party's lawmakers and local leadership, he is "convinced" that the way forward is the dissolution of both assemblies and snap polls.

Qureshi said: "We believe that even if the PDM's (Pakistan Democratic Movement) federal government is keeping its own interests above the state's and not thinking about holding general elections, then new governments should be formed in both provinces before Ramadan."

The former foreign minister said PTI does not want anarchy in the state and wishes to "end the differences" that have taken place in the last eight months, hinting at the party's worsening relations with the establishment.

Qureshi said that the PTI leadership, including Khan, believe that the incumbent government has lost the trust of the business community as well as the agriculturists.

"The growth figures are dropping — whether it be industrial production, private sector investment, or any other indicator — shows that the economy is deteriorating."

“We want that before Ramazan, the election process should be completed and governments should be formed,” Qureshi said, adding that Imran was clear on his stance that there should be no delay in the dissolution of assemblies.

In the meeting today, the party also appreciated the Supreme Court's decision to take suo motu notice of senior journalist Arshad Sharif's murder, PTI's vice chairman said.

Qureshi said a fact-finding report has also been presented before the five-member SC bench. "We believe that justice should be done in this case and the human rights violations that have been taking place were unprecedented."

PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja wanted to disqualify Khan.

"But the people will not accept the decisions taken behind closed doors. [The government] should accept the people's decision and move forward. There can be no stability without new elections."

PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said inflation has sky-rocketed in the last eight months — since the party's ouster in April.

He said that all financial experts believe that the "economy's devastated" and the government has no plan on how to revive it.

The PTI leader added that when the Khan-led government was ousted, the foreign exchange reserves stood at $16 billion — which now stand below $8 billion.

"There are fears that the foreign exchange reserves might fall to $5 billion by December's end," he warned, as current reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) can only cover imports for 1.11 months.