Tag: pervaiz elahi

  • ‘Ineffective after removal as CM’: PML-N, PPP withdraw no-trust motion against Elahi

    ‘Ineffective after removal as CM’: PML-N, PPP withdraw no-trust motion against Elahi

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday withdrew the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, terming it unnecessary and ineffective after his de-notification as Chief Minister by the Governor of Punjab.

    PML-N leader Khalil Tahir Sandhu said , “The no-trust move became ineffective as the governor has denotified the CM.” He added that PML-N had withdrawn only the motion against the chief minister, and the ones against Speaker Sibtain Khan and the deputy speaker are still pending.

    On the other hand, Elahi and other MPAs of the PML-N and PML-Q started arriving at the Punjab Assembly on Friday afternoon.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial assembly’s ongoing session will be held today following the speaker’s disposal on Tuesday of the governor’s order for Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence from the house, terming it “against the Constitution and Rules of Procedure”.

    Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Governor Balighur Rehman’s de-notification from the chief minister’s office.

    Governor Rehman de-notified Elahi in the late hours of Friday, citing a failure to take the vote of confidence from the provincial assembly as political turmoil in Pakistan’s largest province reached breaking point.

  • ‘No action can be taken against any CM over speaker’s actions’: Elahi challenges governor’s denotification order in LHC

    ‘No action can be taken against any CM over speaker’s actions’: Elahi challenges governor’s denotification order in LHC

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi on Friday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging Governor Balighur Rehman’s de-notification from chief minister’s office.

    In the petition, Elahi has appealed to the court to declare the governor’s move illegal.

    “No action can be taken against any chief minister over speaker’s actions,” maintains the petition.

    Governor Rehman denotified Elahi in the late hours of Friday, citing a failure to take the vote of confidence from the provincial assembly as political turmoil in Pakistan’s largest province reached breaking point.

    “Since the CM has refrained from obtaining the vote of confidence at the appointed day and time, he ceases to hold office. Orders issued this evening,” Governor Rehman stated.

    Following the governor’s instruction, Chief Secretary of Punjab Abdullah Khan Sumbal, also notified the dissolution of the provincial cabinet. “Mr Pervaiz Elahi has ceased to hold office of the Chief Minister Punjab with immediate effect,” reads the notification. 

  • Pervaiz Elahi no longer Punjab CM after skipping confidence vote says Rana Sanaullah

    Pervaiz Elahi no longer Punjab CM after skipping confidence vote says Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that constitutionally Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi is no longer the Chief Minister of Punjab.

    “The Governor of Punjab had asked the Chief Minister to take a vote of confidence by yesterday, but he did not take it, so according to the constitution, Pervaiz Elahi is no longer the chief minister,” said Sanaullah.

    Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman directed Chief Minister Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence from the house on December 21.

    Sanaullah said that Governor Rehman is using his powers under the Constitution, adding that whenever he issues the orders [of de-notifying Elahi as chief minister], they will be implemented.

    “The governor’s order de-notifying Elahi as the chief minister is now just a formality,” he said. “I think it will be issued today.”

    The minister also said that Elahi cannot advise dissolving the assembly now, terming it “illegal and unconstitutional” and against the rules of the assembly.

    “If this constitutional decision is resisted and its implementation is stopped, the governor can write to the federal government,” Sanaullah said. “After the cabinet’s approval, the federal government can send his advice to the president to approve the imposition of governor’s rule in the province.”

    The interior minister asserted that the president is bound to follow the advice of the prime minister.

    “The second option we have is that parliament can pass a resolution and then governor’s rule will be imposed for two months,” he added. “After two months, another resolution can be passed and the governor’s rule can be extended for six months.”

  • ‘Confidence motion against CM’: Kya hoga 4 bajay ke baad Pervaiz Elahi ke sath?

    ‘Confidence motion against CM’: Kya hoga 4 bajay ke baad Pervaiz Elahi ke sath?

    Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman directed Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence from the house today (December 21).

    According to a notification issued by the Punjab Governor’s Secretariat, “The governor Punjab is pleased to sign order summoning the provincial assembly of Punjab at 1600 hours (4pm) on Wednesday (December 21) and requiring the chief minister of Punjab to obtain a vote of confidence in terms of Article 130(7) of the Constitution.”

    However, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan has said that the governor cannot call a meeting during the ongoing session of the provincial assembly as per the rules.

    Following his meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan at his Zaman Park residence, the speaker said that the PDM was running away from elections.

    “When the governor asks for a vote of confidence, the CM is required to take a vote of confidence. The constitution is very clear,” tweeted Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah warned that if Elahi did not obtain a vote of confidence today, he would cease to be the province’s chief executive.

    “The Punjab Assembly speaker’s stance that the assembly is in session, so the CM cannot be asked to obtain a vote of confidence is wrong. If Elahi fails to do so, he will cease to be the CM,” he maintained.

    Sanaullah said the governor would issue an order barring the chief minister from holding the office in case he did not get a vote of confidence by Wednesday afternoon.

    He has also said that Governor Punjab will give a new notification at 4pm today (Wednesday, December 21). According to the new declaration, Pervaiz Elahi will no longer be the chief minister.

  • ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has accused former spy chief Faiz Hameed of wanting to put him and his son Moonis Elahi behind bars.

    In an explosive interview with ARY News’ programme ‘The Reporters’, Elahi said that General Faiz called the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and asked him to put the father and son behind bars.

    “General [retd] Faiz ne humary sath ziyaatiyaan ki”, (General (retd) Faiz did grave injustices to us), Elahi said, emphasizing that the former head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief was “strongly against” him.

    He also revealed that he had taken up the matter with the ex-COAS General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen Faiz had then informed the army chief that the alleged political persecution had been ordered by Imran Khan.

    ‘Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain’: CM Elahi

    Throughout the interview, the chief minister regretted Imran Khan’s remarks against General [retd] Bajwa. He reminded that General [retd] Bajwa is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) benefactor and they shouldn’t be “ungrateful”.

    Elahi said that he told Moonis Elahi: “Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain, aap ke mohsin hain, PTI ke mohsin hain. Khuda ka wasta hai un ke khilaf kuch na bolay” (Bajwa sahab is ours, yours and PTI’s benefactor, so don’t speak against him).

    He said he had reiterated the same in his meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan a day ago at Imran’s Zaman Park residence. “He [Imran] replied: ‘I’ve received many requests [not to speak against Bajwa],’ so I said: ‘Then accept them,’” Elahi added.

    “The injustice that Imran Khan did was making us sit beside him and criticising Bajwa sahab.”

    Elahi said General Bajwa met the Saudi king and the crown prince, went to Qatar to bring money for Pakistan and even worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support Khan’s government.

    He said that he felt “very bad but could not speak to Khan in privacy before he made a long speech and announced the dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies on Saturday.”

    The chief minister also claimed that 99 per cent of the people within PTI were against Khan’s decision regarding the dissolution of assemblies.

    ‘Mei ne kaha GET OUT’, CM Elahi gives shut up call to PTI member for speaking against General Bajwa

    He also warned that he and his party won’t tolerate a word against ex-COAS. He said that he even gave a shut up call to PTI’s Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dreshak for speaking against Gen Bajwa.

    “Mai toh cabinet mein bardaasht nahi karta, pehlay din hee keh diya tha. Dreshak ne cabinet mei bak bak shuru kardi. Mei ne kaha get out” (I told everyone on the first day that I wouldn’t tolerate this behaviour in the cabinet. When Dreshak started speaking nonsense, I said get out).

    Dreshak resigned from his post as the provincial minister for food on December 17. Earlier, it was reported that he and Elahi exchanged heated words during a cabinet meeting on Friday after which the minister left the room in protest and later sent his resignation.

    About Usman Buzdar

    CM Elahi took a direct jibe at former CM of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, stating that he had ruined the province and that Elahi sorted things out with four months of hard work.

    In response, Buzdar said that criticism of him is like criticising the PTI narrative. He added that he also has a lot to say but he has never spoken ill about anyone.

    Moonis Elahi met Imran Khan

    Following Elahi’s interview, Imran Khan called Moonis Elahi to his residence and discussed his father’s “harsh” statements. The younger Elahi explained his father’s, his own and his party’s stance with regard to Bajwa.

    On Sunday, Khan also said that he would not take any action against Gen (retd) Bajwa if he attains power again, saying his grievances with the former COAS were not a personal dispute.

    The former premier made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

  • Dissolution of assemblies: CM Elahi goes to Rawalpindi ahead of Imran’s date announcement

    Dissolution of assemblies: CM Elahi goes to Rawalpindi ahead of Imran’s date announcement

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi on Friday air-dashed to Rawalpindi and returned to Lahore after a brief meeting with an “important personality”.

    CM Elahi traveled to Rawalpindi on Friday evening where he held an important meeting. After returning to Lahore at night, he held consultations with his party leaders and also took Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain into confidence, reports Geo News.

    It is pertinent to mention that the development comes just hours before the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s announcement of the date for the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) today.

    According to the media outlet, after the meeting in Rawalpindi, Elahi opposed dissolving the assembly and suggested to Imran Khan not to take the decision in haste.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi also met Imran Khan before “the Rawalpindi meeting”. He told the PTI leader that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government can victimise the PTI and PML-Q leadership if the assemblies are dissolved.

    If Elahi doesn’t dissolve the Punjab Assembly, the PTI chief Imran Khan would be left with the option of his party’s lawmakers resigning from the assembly.

    On the other hand, Dawn reports that PML-Q said it would remain PTI’s political ally in the next general election, but demanded 25 to 30 seats across the Gujrat division, parts of south Punjab and Sialkot district.

    Khan will announce the dissolution of both provincial assemblies in the much-awaited video-link address at Liberty Roundabout in Lahore today. CM Elahi and KP CM Mahmood Khan would be personally present in the public congregations.

  • Sahafi baradari rejects offer of housing society, accuses govt of bribing them for not reporting on RUDA

    Sahafi baradari rejects offer of housing society, accuses govt of bribing them for not reporting on RUDA

    Pakistani journalist community has come forward to reject the Punjab government’s offer of a journalists’ housing society to be built in the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA).

    On Wednesday, Pervaiz Elahi, the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, allocated 700 kanals of land for the construction of a journalists’ housing society in RUDA.

    Taking to Twitter, Elahi said, “Another promise to the journalist community has been fulfilled. Ravi Urban Development Authority has allotted 700 kanals of land for Journalist Colony Phase 2 in its first phase.”

    He, further said that providing a roof for journalists is his top priority. “Plots were given to journalists in the previous period and still the promise of giving plots has been fulfilled,” he added.

    Right after the decision, Twitter was filled with tweets by journalists and human rights activists, jointly rejecting the scheme. They accused the government of bribing them with public money.

    Why are people against the allocation?

    The Ravi Urban Development Authority allegedly forcibly acquired farmland from farmers, destroying crops on hundreds of acres in the Ferozewala area.

    The farmers and landowners who have been victims of the project, accused the former premier Imran Khan of pushing the Pervaiz Elahi-led Punjab government to use force and arms for taking illegal possession of their land.

    In August 2020, the then prime minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the controversial real estate project.

  • Zardari assures Shujaat that Hamza Shehbaz will not become CM Punjab again

    Zardari assures Shujaat that Hamza Shehbaz will not become CM Punjab again

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain not to dissolve Punjab Assembly and assured him of a new setup, reports Geo News.

    Quoting sources, the report said that at a meeting that took place on Sunday, Zardari also assured the PML-Q president that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz will not be the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab in the “new setup”.

    Meanwhile, Shujaat guaranteed the PPP co-chairman asked that he talk to the CM of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi about the dissolution of the assembly.

    Since the announcement of the possible dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies by PTI chief Imran Khan, Zardari has been holding consultations about a possible no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister of Punjab.

    Meanwhile, CM Elahi said that he did not see elections taking place in the next four months, however, he has repeatedly said that he fully backs Khan’s decision about dissolving assemblies.

    In July, the Supreme Court (SC) removed Hamza Shehbaz as CM. At the time, the apex court struck down former Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election, declaring his “understanding and implementation” of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution “incorrect and erroneous”.

  • Punjab Assembly to stay intact till March says CM Elahi

    Punjab Assembly to stay intact till March says CM Elahi

    Chief Minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that the Punjab Assembly will not be dissolved for the next four months, increasing confusion over the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plan to dissolve provincial assemblies.

    In an interview with a private TV channel, Elahi said, “One should do their homework till March. We have reservations about the Chief Election Commissioner. So we need to look into that. We will also see how the Opposition behaves. So yes, the assembly stays intact till March.”

    The Punjab Chief Minister said that both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) made offers to Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q); however, the party supported the former on the advice of the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General (retd) Bajwa.

    Elahi said that he received offers from both camps — PTI and PDM — but in line with the advice of the former army chief, his party preferred to choose Khan.

    The chief minister maintained that his son Moonis Elahi also suggested that they should side with the PTI.

    Commenting on his past experiences with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, CM Elahi said that there were always apprehensions about the Sharifs “lying” to them.

    “I was with the Sharifs for 18 years, they always lied to us. I would [often] say the Sharifs won’t let me do anything for the province,” he said recalling his discussions with the “institution” on whom to support during the Vote of No Confidence.

    “When we discussed this with the institution, they suggested thinking about what was better for us. We consult the institution when such a situation arises,” Elahi said, adding that the institution told them that choosing PTI was a “respectable and better option”.

  • ‘We will be dissolving the assemblies this month’: Imran Khan

    ‘We will be dissolving the assemblies this month’: Imran Khan

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan asked his party members to get ready for elections as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies will be dissolved this month

    In an address to the Parliamentary Party of KP, Imran asked party workers to prepare for elections and begin campaigning in their constituencies. “Whether they [the government] come towards elections or not, we will be dissolving the assemblies this month and moving towards elections.”

    He reiterated that PTI is only ready to talk to the coalition leader on elections, warning that he will otherwise dissolve the assemblies in the provinces where his party was in power.

    He also said that Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi had given him the go-ahead to dissolve the assembly. “He has said he is standing with me and would dissolve assemblies on my call,” he emphasized.

    Moreover, Imran warned that “if something happens to [PTI senator] Azam Swati, we will go after everyone responsible for arresting him”.

    Imran further said that the people who took Swati to Quetta had turned Pakistan’s justice system into a “joke”.

    “I am once again saying this with great respect to the judiciary, if you won’t protect the rights [of people] then who will,” he asked senior judges.

    Imran then instructed all his party members and supporters to come out to protest against Swati’s arrest.

    On Saturday, the government turned down Khan’s invitation to parleys for early elections, arguing threats and talks could not go together.