LAHORE: The PPP has warned the PTI that the general election might not be held this year if it doesn’t stop pushing the country towards anarchy.

“The general election will not be conducted in the year 2023 if the current politico-economic situation persists. How can the polls be held if Imran Khan pushes the country (towards political anarchy)?,” Punjab PPP acting president Rana Farooq Saeed said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

Flanked by Shehzad Cheema, Faisal Mir, Mian Ayub and others, Mr Saeed said there’s no chance of early polls because the incumbent government needed time to resolve the issues caused by Imran Khan’s four-year rule in the country.

He said the economic condition of the country was very bad and urged the elite owning, what Rana Farooq claimed, $2tr to lend at least $10bn to steer their homeland out of the economic troubles.

He told a questioner that wheat had become expensive due to the increase in prices of urea and DAP fertilisers and that in such a situation the cabinet size should have been smaller.

He said the PPP would fully participate in the next general election and would negate the propaganda that the party was not popular in certain pockets of the country. He said the forthcoming election would also expose the so-called popular base of both the PTI and the PML-Q.

Replying to a question about the political instability in Punjab, the PPP leader said it had to be seen whether Chief Minister Parvez Elahi would take a vote of confidence or not. He said the ruling coalition of the PTI and PML-Q had to blame itself for the departure of the lawmakers from its folds.

Referring to the new master plan of Lahore approved by the provincial government, Rana Farooq alleged that corruption worth trillions of rupees had been made through the new master plan.

Shehzad Cheema said the Punjab chapter of the party in its meeting earlier in the day had decided to celebrate with full enthusiasm the birth anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Jan 5 (tomorrow) at all levels.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2023