ISLAMABAD: The provincial legislature of Pakistan’s most populous federating unit of Punjab stood dissolved on Saturday evening, allowing the appointment process for an interim caretaker setup to begin ahead of fresh polls in the province.
The development took place days after Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi sent a summary to Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly. Elahi is an ally of ousted premier Imran Khan who has been seeking early elections in the country since the downfall of his administration in a parliamentary no-confidence vote held last April.
The governor refused to become part of the dissolution process on Saturday, though the assembly came to an end on its own under a constitutional provision that took effect 48 hours after he received the summary from the chief minister.
Subsequently, the governor announced the dissolution of the assembly and provincial cabinet in a letter which also mentioned the appointment process of the caretaker setup.
“The care-taker Chief Minister shall be appointed by the undersigned in consultation with the outgoing Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Provincial Assembly as per Article 224(1A) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.
“Above in view, I call upon you to participate in the process of appointment of care-taker Chief Minister and provide the name of a person to be appointed as such, within three days hereof, i.e. by the 17th January, 2023, 2210 hours,” the letter continued.
The governor added he was willing to facilitate the process by holding a meeting to bring all relevant political actors together.
After the Punjab Assembly, ex-PM Khan also wants to dissolve the legislative body in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is currently in power.