Islamabad, Pakistan (CU)_ According to the top party official, the PML-N has no intention to boycott the country’s early polls. According to the media statement from the PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, “Early election is not a problem for us, in fact, our movement has been about early polls. That has been our demand, as the previous national election was rigged. We do not plan to boycott it.”
On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan abruptly dissolved the parliament in order to escape being removed through a vote of no confidence. The prime minister also requested a new election within 90 days. The parliament’s deputy speaker, who is also a member of Khan’s party, also opposed the no-trust motion, claiming it was part of a foreign plot.
The opposition parties have filed a petition in the Supreme Court to declare the deputy speaker’s decision unlawful and beyond the speaker’s jurisdiction. However, in the meantime, the PML-N, Pakistan’s main opposition party, claims it has no objections over the early polls as long as the parliament’s unconstitutional actions are reversed.
Sanaullah said, “If this unconstitutional and illegal step by the government is declared null and void [by the Court] and the government is formed by the Opposition then we will also head towards election”. He added, “The PML-N’s stance is very clear that polls should be held immediately. However, other [Opposition] parties want election reforms to be conducted first.”
According to the PML-N leader, another key reason his party is confident of facing the polls is that individuals responsible for previous pre-poll rigging are keeping out of politics this time. He stated, “Those calls are not coming anymore”. In the midst of the political turbulence, the Punjab legislature is also slated to vote on Wednesday for the state’s next chief minister.
The PML-N has chosen Hamza Shehbaz, whereas Khan’s PTI has endorsed Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q, a governing party ally. Sanaullah informed the media that he is certain of victory in Punjab, calculating that Hamza Shehbaz has the backing of 198 provincial assembly members, far more than the 186 votes required to prevail. The PML-N expressed confidence saying, “This number will further go up from 198 to 201 on Wednesday”.
