Chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab signs summary to dissolve provincial assembly

By Kiran Butt

LAHORE, Pakistan (AA) - Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, signed on Thursday the summary to dissolve the provincial assembly, a move which could force early general elections in the country.

“I, Parvez Elahi Chief Minister Punjab hereby advise you to dissolve the provincial assembly of Punjab,” Elahi wrote In a brief one-line advice addressed to the Punjab governor.

The development came a day after Elahi managed to secure a confidence vote from the Punjab Assembly in the early hours of Thursday.

The coalition of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parties showed majority in the provincial legislature with the support of 186 lawmakers – the minimum number of votes required to win the trust vote.

Punjab is the country's most populous province and makes up more than half of the country's population of 220 million.

Punjab governor Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman had sacked the chief minister for refusal to take the vote of confidence, and the case was taken to the Lahore High Court. He withdrew his order after the voting, and also confirmed via Twitter that he has received the summary of the dissolution of the Punjab assembly.

Speaking to reporters, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said even if the governor does not accept the advice, the assembly is automatically dissolved after 48 hours.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (K-P) provincial assembly will also be dissolved "day after tomorrow," he said, adding that that the country was headed towards general elections, which are otherwise slated after August.

Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote last April, announced last month to dissolve two of the country’s four provincial assemblies where he holds power, in a bid to force early elections.

He has campaigned for snap polls since being removed, heightening political uncertainty in the South Asian nation struggling with dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

Historically, polls for the federal and provincial governments are held at the same time every five years. If the Punjab and K-P assemblies are dissolved earlier, separate polls would have to be held for them within 90 days, unless the federal government calls a general election.