ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Thursday it was willing to discuss the modalities of the next general elections if the government was open to the idea of going to the polls ahead of schedule.

The PTI has been seeking fresh elections in the country since the downfall of its administration in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April. Khan has held dozens of protest rallies across Pakistan while describing snap polls as the only way out of the prevailing political and economic turmoil.

The former prime minister announced his decision at a recent protest in Rawalpindi to dissolve the provincial legislatures of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where his party is in power, hoping to intensify pressure on the coalition administration at the center to announce an early election date.

“For sure,” said PTI senior vice president Chaudhary Fawad Hussain in a Twitter post, “if [the government] announces early elections we are ready to negotiate [the] framework of elections and changes in [the Election Commission of Pakistan].”

Khan has repeatedly said in recent days he wants early elections since the country’s economy is in a crisis state and his party wants to retrieve control of the situation before it is too late.

He has also expressed reservations over the workings of the country’s election regulatory authority while claiming that its officials have a bias against his party.

On Thursday, the former prime minister also held a meeting with the Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to discuss the overall political situation of the country and weigh the option of dissolving the provincial assembly.

“There will be no delay in dissolving the Punjab Assembly on Imran Khan’s instructions,” Elahi said in a Twitter post after the meeting.

He dismissed the possibility of governor rule in Punjab while pointing out it could not happen since the assembly was in session.

Elahi also challenged the federal government to bring a no-confidence motion against him, saying the move would fail again like before.

He added his political rivals were far behind in the number game.

It may be recalled the Punjab chief minister is Khan’s political ally and holds the top provincial position after reaching a political understanding with the PTI leadership.

He noted that his party endorsed all decisions made by Khan, adding it fully supported anyone it chooses to ally with.