Imran party to hold country-wide campaign demanding early election

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is all set to launch the 'Election Karao Mulk Bachao' campaign across Pakistan in order to pressurise the coalition government to conduct an early election.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister and PTI Chief Imran Khan, during his meeting with lawmakers and office-bearers hailing from Lahore at his Zaman Park residence on Monday, decided to hold the campaign, Geo News reported.

Under the first phase of the nationwide drive -- from December 7 to 17 -- mass rallies and public gatherings will be held in Lahore. The campaign will kick start with a rally in Hammad Azhar's constituency in the provincial capital city on December 7.

The meeting also discussed the dissolution of the provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to Geo News. Earlier, Khan expressed his willingness to halt the dissolution of assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces if the election will take place by March.

While giving an interview with a Pakistani private channel, Imran Khan said, "If they are ready for elections by the end of March, then we won't dissolve the assemblies. Otherwise, we want to conduct polls by dissolving the KP and Punjab assemblies," Geo news reported. PTI Chairman further said that his party won't agree to a date after March and the assemblies will dissolve in this [December] month if the government disagrees.

"How long will they take to decide? They either have to say yes or no. We have already decided," the former premier said underlining his conditional stance on talks with the government on the election date. "If they [government] want, we can talk to them about what date the elections can be held.

There is no way elections can take place after the budget," Geo News quoted him as saying, adding that the government will take the country down this way.

"Do they want polls to take place in 66 per cent of the country and then conduct general elections?" Khan questioned, suggesting that they announce the election date soon. Earlier also, Khan announced that his party has decided not to remain part of the current political system and will instead resign from all the assemblies.

Imran's PTI is in power in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. However, the PTI has yet to announce a date for the dissolution of assemblies in Punjab and KP, according to Dawn. Addressing the party's power show in Rehmanabad, Khan said, "We will not be part of this system. We have decided to quit all the assemblies and get out of this corrupt system."