If assemblies dissolved by May 14, ready for joint election in Pakistan: Imran Khan

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 30 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan gave an ultimatum to the coalition government that if they dissolved the remaining assemblies by May 14 then they are ready for elections in the whole of the country.

In a televised address to the nation, on Saturday, from his Zaman Park residence, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman said, "If the assembly is dissolved before May 14, we are ready for elections in the whole of Pakistan," according to the video shared by PTI Twitter account.

"It will be a national election and we feel we are ready for it," he said. "This is the only way the political stability will be achieved, the economy will improve and the conditions of the people will transform."

Khan further stated that he sensed bad intentions behind dissolving the assemblies as the central government said that they will do after the budget would be passed in the national assembly.

The PTI chairman questioned that "What's the point of them presenting a budget when someone else will have to carry the weight of it."

He said that the "real budget" would be the one passed by the government which came to power after winning the elections. The former premier stated that any notion of the assemblies being dissolved after the budget would be "unacceptable" for the PTI, according to Dawn.

"We are ready for joint elections if you are ready to dissolve the assemblies by May 14. If you are not then the Supreme Court has already ordered Punjab elections on May 14 and after that, we are going to the apex court for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections."

According to Dawn, the PTI Chairman will carry out the rallies on May 1.

In three provincial capitals. "I will lead the rally in Lahore at 1 pm from Liberty till Nasir Bagh. Qureshi will lead the Islamabad rally at the same time and Pervez Khattak will lead the Peshawar rally."

He further said the purpose of the rally was to save the Constitution and the country. Imran also extended an invitation to the legal community and the working class to participate in the rally.

Imran said his negotiation team comprising PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and Senator Ali Zafar will go for the meeting on crucial election talks with the government team on May 2 (Tuesday).

Representatives of the government and the opposition exchanged proposals during the second round of talks held in Committee Room No 3 at the Parliament House, reported Dawn.

Though the development generated some optimism, the dialogue process still appears to be fraught with the possibility of failure as important figures from both sides in their remarks stuck to their guns and questioned the utility of negotiations if one side did not agree with the other's suggestion.

Informed sources told Dawn that the PTI insisted on a date for the dissolution of the National Assembly prior to the presentation of the budget to "reduce political tension", Dawn reported.