Pakistan: Imran Khan says dissolved Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies on General Bajwa's advise

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan claimed that the former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa advised him to dissolve the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), reported The News.com. Khan said that General Bajwa suggested in a meeting, where President Arif Alvi was also present, that if the PTI chief sought elections, he should first dissolve his governments in the two provinces. The PTI chief was voted out of office in April last year after a no-confidence motion. He claimed that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief told him that Bajwa wanted to bring Shehbaz Sharif into power. Khan said, “General Bajwa and the [premier intelligence] agency knew that the current rulers had stolen the money from the national kitty and taken it abroad. Despite knowing this, General Bajwa was willing to give them ‘NRO’ as he had planned an extension [for himself],” according to ANI. During the interview, Imran Khan added that the polls can take place in July if PM Shehbaz Sharif dissolves the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. “Elections can be held in July if the prime minister dissolves the assembly,” he said. The News.com reported that Khan also claimed the caretaker governments in both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the provinces where his party was in power before he decided to dissolve its two assemblies on 14 and 18 January, respectively, are illegal after the lapse of their stipulated term, . He demanded that a new “neutral” interim setup be instated. Khan also said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has given 14 May as the date for Punjab polls and his party won’t let the government go beyond that. “If they think they [incumbent government] will pressurise the Supreme Court, we will not let it happen. They will scandalise the top court to run away from elections,” he said, according to ANI. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.