The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has reportedly decided to bring Pakistan Muslim League-Q leader and former provincial chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
Sources said on Tuesday that the PTI leadership agreed to the suggestion as it wants to bring a strong candidate at the position since it leads against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with a slight margin in the provincial assembly.
According to sources, however, if the PML-Q leader agrees, he will have to give up his two National Assembly seats which will bring down the PTI’s total count and dent its efforts to form a government in the centre.
As political jockeying continues to form governments in Punjab and the centre, the PTI leadership has been busy holding meetings with allied parties and independents in a bid to acquire the necessary numbers to form provincial and federal governments.
At present, the PTI claims it has gained the support of 17 independents and PML-Q MPAs which, in addition to its own 123 members elected to the house, brings its total tally to 149 members in the present provincial assembly of 295 — enough to form a coalition government.
However, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, whose party gained 127 seats in the provincial assembly, says they have enough MPAs, including independents, to form a government and are not revealing their identities on purpose.
On Monday, a delegation of PML-Q met PTI chief Imran Khan at his Bani Gala residence in the federal capital.
In the meeting, PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Tareen, Asad Umar, Naeem-ul-Haq and others were also present.
The PTI said that seven PML-Q members and one independent expressed support to the party in Punjab. According to a PTI press statement, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain ensured complete support to Imran.
The PML-Q has also rendered support to the PTI in the National Assembly.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Tallal Chaudry critcised on Tuesday the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) reported decision to bring PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi as its candidate for the slot of Punjab Assembly speaker.
He was addressing the media in Islamabad.
With regards to the PML-N’s claims of electoral rigging in the July 25 General Election, Chaudry said he only seeks CCTV footage of the office of the returning officer in his Faisalabad constituency of NA-102, which he lost to the PTI candidate.
