LAHORE: A day after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) formed a three-member panel to initiate talks to bring down political temperature, its spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said the party leaders and workers should march on Islamabad to reclaim the right to vote and send the ‘pharaoh’ home.

The senior vice president of the former ruling party made these remarks on Monday during an Iftar dinner hosted by Nasir Salman, focal person to PTI Chairman Imran Khan on trade, on the heels of a parliament decision to refuse funds for polls.

He said the PTI needed to announce and launch a focused movement since the incumbent rulers believe they cannot be removed because they enjoy the support of the establishment. “Without exerting pressure, the pharaoh will not go [home],” he said in a reference to the ruling coalition.

Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan was facing a “huge crisis” as parliament has announced through a resolution that it could not fund elections on May 14, as directed by the apex court. Under the constitution, people have the right to elect their representatives, he said, adding that at present, 70 per cent of Pakistan was operating without elected assemblies.

PTI leader calls establishment ‘real decision maker’, seeks its involvement in dialogue

“Both caretaker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are unconstitutional and undemocratic,” the PTI leader alleged. He pointed out that if people “lost their right to elect their representatives, they would be losing all rights forever”.

“If elections are not held and the Supreme Court is shut down, then there will be no way out but to launch a movement on roads,” Mr Chaudhry reiterated.

‘No dialogue’

The PTI leader also refused to initiate talks with the government, saying how the former ruling party could hold a dialogue with the incumbent government if it refused to accept people’s right to vote.

“A dialogue can only be held within the ambit of the Constitution and the guidelines identified by the Supreme Court,” he added. “No talks can be held with the PDM until the involvement of the establishment in the process since it was the real decision-making entity,” he claimed.

He said that it would be a setback for democracy if the order of the top court was ignored.

In a tweet, Mr Chaudhry stated the PTI was united on the issue of negotiations, but the government was not serious about the negotiations. “The negotiations can only take place within the limits set by the Constitution and the Supreme Court,” he stated.

Contempt proceedings

Mr Chaudhry said the State Bank’s failure to release funds was in violation of the court order and the Supreme Court should initiate contempt proceedings against the prime minister and the cabinet and “fulfill their desire of disqualification”.

Also, the PTI leader tweeted that parliament had no authority to prevent people from voting. Such a parliament could lay the foundation for a “fascist government” but its decisions would not have anything to do with a democratic system.

The constitution was clear that parliament did not have any authority to restrict election expenses, he added.

‘Not serious’

Speaking to media persons, PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the PDM government and the PML-N were not serious about holding a dialogue. He said PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman called the dialogue an “unnecessary activity”.

Referring to interior minister Rana Sanaullah’s statements, Mr Qureshi said the PML-N itself was divided on the issue of dialogue. He asserted that any dialogue should be held within the ambit of the constitution.

Answering a question about any protest, he said the decision to launch a protest movement would be taken after Supreme Court’s decision.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2023