Pakistan's Punjab CM signs summary for dissolving provincial assembly

Pakistan's Punjab province Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Thursday signed the summary of dissolution of the provincial assembly and sent it to the governor for acceptance.

Elahi, a joint candidate of ousted premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the PML-Q, signed the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly summary hours after he managed to obtain a vote of confidence.

"I, Parvez Elahi, chief minister of Punjab, hereby advise you to dissolve the provincial assembly," Elahi said in a brief one-line advice addressed to the governor.

Elahi's move comes after his meeting with Khan at his Zaman Park residence.

Talking to reporters after the Khan-Elahi meeting, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the chief minister had sent the advice of dissolution of the assembly to the Punjab governor.

"If the governor does not accept the advice then, the assembly is automatically dissolved after 48 hours," he said, adding that the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where the PTI is in power, will also be dissolved on Friday.

Chaudhry said the dissolution of both assemblies will pave the way for general elections.

"The PML-N led coalition government in the Centre should come out of the bunker and announce snap polls as there is no other way to escape from the elections," he said.

Punjab Governor Baligur Rehman of the PML-N had sought a vote of confidence from Elahi last month in a bid to stop the dissolution of the assembly.

In a midnight drama, Elahi secured the required 186 votes from the Punjab Assembly amid the Opposition's protest.

Khan has already said that he wants to dissolve both Punjab and KP assemblies to push the federal government to announce snap polls. Khan says only fresh polls can steer the country out of the economic crisis.

The federal government, however, insists that general elections will be held after the completion of the tenure of the government in August.