LAHORE
\nHaving long exhorted National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to accept the resignations submitted by their lawmakers enmasse, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday announced a major U-turn, stating that they could go back to the lower house of parliament.
\nHe said this in talks with senior journalists at his mansion in Zaman Park in Lahore. Imran, who has already overseen the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly but has dithered on dissolving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, said that they have now planned to give Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a \u2018tough time\u2019.
\nFurther he said that to bring in an interim set up after discussions with the treasury benches, they could go back to the national assembly. \u201cIf we do not go back to the assembly, they will form an interim setup after discussing the matter with Raja Riaz,\u201d Imran suggested. \u201cWe are planning a return to the national assembly.\u201d
\nThe PTI had resigned enmasse from the national assembly after a vote of no confidence against their party chief Imran Khan proved successful in April 2022. In the event there is a run-off election for the prime minister\u2019s seat, he said that they will take decisions as per the evolving situation then.
\nHe added that some members from the PML-N are in contact with the PTI, but that they will only allow these members to join after subjecting them to a \u2018test\u2019. He did not define what this test would entail.
\n\u201cPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNAs are in touch, Imran said while talking to senior journalists. \u201cWe will test them before letting them join us.\u201d He said he might return to the National Assembly as a caretaker. \u201cThe Bajwa doctrine is still functional,\u201d he said.
\nWith regards to elections, he said that he sees polls taking place in April. However, he claimed that the PDM leaders are very much upset, saying: \u201cIshaq Dar was supposed to increase petrol but did not.\u201d
\nResponding to a question on the offer of merger of the PTI and the PML-Q, he said the PML-Q could shine in future with the PTI. \u201cIf the PML-Q merges with the PTI, it will stay successful,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cThe future of PML-Q is with the PTI. The PML-Q will win the poll if it contests with a bat election symbol. Reports suggest that Imran Khan approved the strategy of giving a \u2018tough time\u2019 to the ruling coalition.
\nImran Khan okayed the plan asking PM Shehbaz to seek a vote of confidence. A couple of days ago, the MQM-P threatened to quit the coalition government. Also, Imran Khan ordered the party to start the process of approval of tickets for general elections and sought names of strong candidates <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Having long exhorted National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to accept the resignations submitted by their lawmakers enmasse, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday announced a major U-turn, stating that they could go back to the lower house of parliament. He said this in talks with senior journalists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-307867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n