ISLAMABAD: Interim Prime Minister Imran Khan has started preparations for fresh elections, while almost all other major political parties are awaiting the apex court decision on their challenge to the rejection of the no-trust resolution against Mr Khan by the deputy speaker just before the dissolution of the assembly.

According to Fawad Chuadhry, who held the portfolios of law, information and broadcasting before the cabinet was dissolved, Mr Khan chaired a meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Board and reviewed the process of awarding party tickets and selecting candidates.

“The [interim] prime minister has decided to definitely give party tickets to those former 135 MNAs who remained loyal and stuck to the party till the end,” said Mr Chaudhry.

The party would start its work from 135 tickets onwards, he remarked.

Fawad says cabinet notification allowing Imran to remain PM will be made public

“In the last elections the PTI started its preparation from zero but now it will start its work from 135 candidates onwards,” Mr Chaudhry said, adding that it was decided in the meeting that new candidates would be selected on the basis of their loyalty to the party, qualification and their eligibility to win the polls.

The ex-minister claimed the PTI was the only party that could field its candidates for all 272 general seats of the National Assembly. “Except PTI no other political party in the country can field their candidates for all NA constituencies,” he said.

Earlier, the PTI secretariat issued a press release to state that the interim premier directed the party’s provincial presidents to immediately complete the process of receiving applications for party tickets from people.

Mr Khan told the party meeting that the PTI was one of the biggest political parties in the country and its vote bank was fast increasing. “PTI workers do preparation for elections, field best candidates so that you return to the power in a vehement way,” he was quoted as saying.

Ex-minister Chaudhry, in response to a question, said he would ask the cabinet division to provide the fresh notification to the media on Wednesday. He said the cabinet division issued a fresh notification on Monday night that Mr Khan could continue to hold the PM Office in the light of a president’s order.

Earlier, President Arif Alvi had tweeted that he had permitted Mr Khan to continue to hold his office till the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.

According to the last notification of the cabinet division, the PM had ceased to hold his office on Monday. After this no other notification of the cabinet division was shared with the media about the PM Office.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2022