No you Khan’t: KP Opp up arms against PTI chief’s ‘threat’ to dissolve assembly

• Opposition members move privilege motion against Imran Khan’s statement that KP Assembly could be dissolved if ‘justice was not served’ in election rigging case

PESHAWAR

STAFF REPORT

The opposition and treasury benches members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly burst into a verbal clash in the House as the opposition submitted a privilege motion on Wednesday, expressing serious reservations over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s threats to dissolve the Assembly.

Later, the opposition staged a walkout from the assembly strongly protesting Khan’s unwarranted statement, while Raja Faisal Zaman of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Nighat Orakzai submitted a privilege motion in the assembly stating that Khan was repeatedly talking about “illegal and undemocratic dissolution” of the assembly, casting aspersion on the people.

Addressing the House, Munawwar Khan enquired from KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar if the assembly was Khan’s ‘jageer’ (property). Shaukat Yusufzai, on behalf of the government, wanted to give a clarification on the issue but the opposition shouted him down and didn’t allow him to speak.

Khan was quoted by the media as saying that the KP Assembly could be dissolved if “justice was not served”. Khan was referring to re-counting of votes in four constituencies.

Khan has been demanding investigation into vote rigging in last year’s general elections, blaming the ruling PML-N for massive electoral irregularities. Leader of the Opposition Maulana Lutfur Rehman described the statement as a ‘conspiracy’ against democracy.