LAHORE: A Toba Tek Singh resident has petitioned the Lahore High Court to prevent the Punjab Assembly from being dissolved prematurely.

Petitioner Namdar Ali submits that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan announced dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Dec 23. He says the dissolution of the assemblies would be against the mandate of the Constitution and the autonomy of the provinces.

He states that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, in a TV interview, stated his wish that the legislature fulfil its constitutional term, but at the same time claimed to have handed over a summary to Imran Khan for the dissolution of the assembly.

The petitioner alleges that the PTI chairman wants to dissolve the Punjab Assembly for his personal gains, but it would be detrimental to the stability of the country.

He asks the court to restrain the chief minister from the dissolution of the Punjab assembly in the larger public interest.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022