‘Announcement in six to eight weeks’: Imran directs Punjab MPAs to prepare for general elections

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday directed party leaders and parliamentarians in Punjab to prepare for the next general elections as they could be announced in six to eight weeks.

The direction came during separate meetings held at Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi’s office on Sunday.

Khan congratulated Elahi on the ouster of an ‘unconstitutional and unlawful’ government from Punjab.

Steps to provide relief to the people of the province were also discussed during the meeting.

Khan held separate meetings with various party leaders, including provincial chief of the party Dr Yasmin Rashid, former chief Shafqat Mahmood, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid, as well as with MPAs from six Punjab divisions.

Khan has given Dr Yasmin Rashid a two-week ultimatum to reorganise the party in the province.

Earlier, former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that an “agreement” has been reached and the general elections will be held in October.

“Instead of by-elections, matters on new elections have been settled. The nation will soon hear about the date for the elections in October, the formation of a new election commission and a caretaker government,” said Rasheed.

PTI challenges approval of 11 resignations in court

PTI General Secretary Asad Umar on Monday (August 1) reached the Islamabad High Court where he challenged the approval of the 11 resignations of PTI MNAs.

“A petition has been submitted in the Islamabad High Court against the election commission accepting the resignations of 11 members of the assembly of their choice,” the PTI leader said on Twitter.

Umar said that they have approached the court against the acceptance of the 11 resignations. 

“On April 11, 125 of our people resigned on the floor of the assembly, and on April 13, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri accepted their resignations,” Umar said.

Asad Umar said that PTI MNAs resigned en masse but the election commission’s decision to accept the resignation of 11 members and not 125 is illegal.

Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified 11 PTI MNAs following the approval of their resignations by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf.

According to the ECP, Ali Muhammad Khan, Fazal Muhammad Khan, Shaukat Ali, Fakhar Zaman Khan, Farrukh Habib, Ijaz Ahmad Shah, Jamil Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Akram Cheema, Abdul Shakoor Shad, Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari, Shandana Gulzar Khan have been de-notified. 

PTI to file judicial reference against Chief Election Commissioner

PTI Information Secretary Farrukh Habib issued a statement on July 30 and said the party had prepared to file a disqualification reference in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against the CEC Sikander Sultan Raja. He said the CEC met PDM leaders after reserving a judgment in the prohibited funding case.

“By doing so, the chief election commissioner violated his oath, the code of conduct as well as his constitutional duty,” he added.

According to media reports, PTI decided to file a judicial reference against CEC Sultan Raja. The decision came during a high-level PTI meeting chaired by Imran Khan, where the party leaders reviewed the coalition government’s recent meeting with the CEC and other ECP members.