LAHORE: Former prime minister Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month.
Addressing his party’s parliamentary members from KP via video link Saturday, the ex-premier said that the party is ready for talks with the coalition government, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), if they are willing to give a date for the general elections.
“The country needs political stability as economic stability will also come with political stability,” Khan said.
Commenting on the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s (Quaid-e-Azam) coalition in Punjab, Khan said Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has given him the authority to dissolve the assembly.
“We will dissolve the provincial assemblies this month and move towards the elections. Our members should prepare for polls. We will soon announce dissolution of the assemblies,” said the deposed prime minister who was removed from the power in April through the no confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan while congratulating the new military leadership has expressed hope that they will try to end the lack of trust between the people and the state in the last 8 months.
Imran Khan tweeted that he congratulates General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and General Syed Asim Munir on assuming the post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Army Staff, respectively.
Imran Khan said that it is hoped that the new military leadership will end the lack of trust between the nation and the state developed in the last 8 months.
The chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf further said that the power of the state is derived from the people.
Yesterday, General Syed Asim Munir took charge as the 17th Chief of the Pakistan Army.
A grand ceremony of the change of command of Pakistan Army was held at GHQ Rawalpindi in which retired Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the chief guest.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, chiefs of armed forces, senior serving and retired military officers, their families and federal secretaries also participated in the ceremony.
Apart from this, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb are also participated in the event.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the new Army Chief General Asim Munir first visited the Martyrs’ Memorial where they placed flowers on the Martyrs’ Memorial and prayed for the high status of the Martyrs.
Bands of the Pakistan Army presented the tunes of the national anthem and national songs and saluted the national flag.
The chief guest of the ceremony, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, along with General Asim Munir, was greeted by the guards on their arrival at the venue, after which the ceremony began with the recitation from the Holy Quran.
Later, a farewell guard of honour was presented to General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Yesterday, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had a farewell meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
