'Dictation won't work', Parliament will decide when to hold elections: Pak PM


PTI | Islamabad | Updated: 26-05-2022 19:41 IST | Created: 26-05-2022 19:41 IST
'Dictation won't work', Parliament will decide when to hold elections: Pak PM
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Warning Imran Khan that his ''dictation won't work'', Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made it clear on Thursday that Parliament would decide the date for the general elections after a disruptive protest by the ousted premier to force a snap poll in the country.

Earlier in the day, addressing a rally of thousands of protesters of the 'Azadi March' at Jinnah Avenue here, former prime minister Khan gave a six-day deadline to the Shehbaz Sharif government for dissolving provincial assemblies and announcing fresh general elections, warning that if the ''imported government'' failed to do so, he would return to the capital with the ''entire nation''.

In the wake of the protest rally, Shehbaz in his address to the National Assembly said, "I want to clarify to the leader of this group (Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party), your dictation won't work. This House will decide when to hold elections." The current National Assembly would complete its five-year term in August next year, which would be followed by the general elections. However, the prime minister can dissolve parliament any time and call fresh elections.

While asserting that his coalition government would not take dictation from any one on holding the elections, Shehbaz at the same time also showed readiness to hold talks with Khan's PTI on the issue.

''The doors were open for talks with the Opposition but I will not take any dictation,'' the premier said, ''I can form a committee but dictation will not work and no group or party can be allowed to rebel against the Constitution.'' Shehbaz said since he took oath on April 22 and decided to work for the betterment of the country, the government was threatened with protests.

''We had two goals in front of us. One was transparent elections and the other was the economy. When we decided to work towards these goals, we were given messages of getting besieged. There is no room for such menace," he said.

The prime minister said Khan was trying to create a situation like in 2014 when he held a sit-in for 126 days, resulting in clashes with police and a lot of damage to the state property.

Khan-led PTI on August 14, 2014 had launched a massive rally that began from Lahore and ended in Islamabad. The protest was driven by accusations that the PML-N had rigged the general election in May 2013. The 'Azadi March' demanded the resignation of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Shehbaz also accused Khan of changing his stance on the judiciary. "He changed his tone depending if the court's decisions were against or in favour. Nothing would remain if history is allowed to be repeated,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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