Pakistan Reader# 521, 17 January 2023
Abigail Miriam Fernandez
On 14 January, the Punjab Assembly was dissolved after Governor Balighur Rehman decided to distance himself from the process, saying he could not become a part of the move. A notice from the Governor stated that said the provincial assembly and provincial cabinet stood dissolved under Article 112(1) of the Constitution. The notice added that a caretaker CM would be appointed by the governor in consultation with the then Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and Leader of the Opposition in the PA Hamza Shahbaz. According to Article 112(1), the assembly stands automatically "dissolved at the expiration of forty-eight hours after the chief minister has so advised" if the governor does not do it. Previously, on 12 January, Parvez Elahi submitted a summary to the Governor for the dissolution of the provincial assembly after he had won the no-confidence motion in the assembly.
Where does the status of the caretaker government stand?
On 15 January, the PTI and the PML-Q announced three candidates for the position of the caretaker chief minister. Parvez Elahi announced that Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera, Naseer Ahmad Khan and Nasir Saeed Khosa are the candidates for the position after consultations with Imran Khan. Further, he urged the opposition to “think with an open heart” claiming that if it did, he could see a consensus being reached.
Where does the PML-Q stand?
The PML-Q clearly stands divided. Elahi who is on the PTI’s side claimed that his party “fulfilled its commitment” to Imran Khan by dissolving the provincial assembly irrespective of diverging statements by people in the “opposite cam.” He said that the PML-Q initially decided on backing out of the plan for the dissolution, however, he said, “we assured Imran that this was our commitment to him and we stood by it. They offered to give Moonis (Parvez’s son) the presidency but we refused because we didn’t want it to look like this was a trade...I told them we will look at these things later. There was no trade […] we did this (dissolve the assemblies) because we trust Imran and know that he is capable of leading the country.”
Conversely, Shujaat Hussain stands with the PPP, given the increasing number of meetings between Shujaat Hussain and Asif Ali Zardari in the recent past to strategies on political moves that they can make together. Following the dissolution of the assembly, Shujaat, along with his sons Shafae Hussain and Salik Hussain met with Zardari where they discussed the political situation in Punjab and the formation of an interim set-up in the province.
Where does the PML-N stand?
The PML-N is left with the challenging task of securing its foothold back in Punjab. With an immediate in front, PML-N strategy shares the same uncertainty as the fate of Punjab. For now, the PML-N has announced that Maryam Nawaz Sharif, will be returning to Pakistan with rumours of Nawaz Sharif returning as well to take hold of the matter. However, the father-daughter duo will not be able to help the PML-N rather it becomes a source of problems due to the divide between the two brothers and their children. While the internal issues unravel, externally, the PML-N has made clear that there has been no urgent mutual agenda for the PML-N and PPP leadership, running out of any possibility of an alliance.
Where does the PTI stand?
The PTI seems to have emerged as a potential victor after it managed to dissolve the provincial assembly. However, the high that the PTI is riding will soon hit the shores given that the PML-N will put up a tough fight and that the PML-Q, its ally remains divided. However, the PTI has managed to successfully damage the image of the PML-N in the provinces. It also proves that the PTI has established substantial roots in Punjab as it enjoys popular support across several sections of the province, thus proving to be a strong electoral power.
References
“Chaudhry Shujaat, sons call on Zardari,” Dawn, 16 January 2023
“Electoral alliance between PPP, PML-N ruled out,” Dawn, 17 January 2023
“PA disbanded, PTI and ‘Q’ move on to interim set-up,” Dawn, 15 January 2023
Mansoor Malik
“PML-N’s uphill task in Punjab,” Dawn, 15 January 2023
Abbas Nasir
“PTI, PML-Q finalise candidates for Punjab caretaker CM,” Dawn, 15 January 2023
“Punjab Assembly stands dissolved as governor decides 'to not become part of' process,” Dawn, 14 January 2023
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