Governor Ghulam Ali dissolves Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved on Wednesday after Governor Haji Ghulam Ali approved Chief Minister Mahmood Khan’s summary for the dissolution of the provincial legislature, Aaj News reported.

On Tuesday, the CM sent the summary for the dissolution of the provincial legislature to the governor.

“I, Mahmood Khan, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in pursuance of provisions of Article 112(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, do hereby forward my advice for dissolution of KP Assembly on January 17, 2023, at 17:00 hours,” the summary read.

CM sends summary for dissolution of KP assembly to governor

A notification from the governor was dispatched to CM Mahmood and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani. The KP Assembly and provincial cabinet were dissolved with immediate effect under Clause 1 of Article 112 of the Constitution, the notification read.

The notification further said that the caretaker CM would be appointed by the governor in consultation with Mahmood and Durrani. The governor called on them to provide the names of their nominees for the position by January 21.

On Saturday, CM Mahmood had reiterated that he would not hesitate for even a moment to dissolve the provincial assembly as and when he was instructed by PTI chairman Imran Khan.

Dissolution of Punjab, KPK PAs in sight

“I have always said I am a humble worker of Imran Khan. I owe this office to him. I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute if he asks me to dissolve the provincial assembly,” he had said while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected body of the Peshawar Press Club.

The KPK is the second regional government to be brought down by former prime minister Imran Khan in his drive to force early general elections.

Last year, Khan had announced that his governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would dissolve their assemblies to pave the way for fresh elections.

Pakistan has been gripped by political turmoil since Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote last April. He was replaced by a shaky alliance led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The South Asian nation is facing a severe economic downturn, with rocketing inflation, a major shortage of foreign reserves and lagging bailout talks with international lenders.

Khan's PTI held a majority or was in a coalition government in two of Pakistan's four provincial parliaments.

The move in KP came after the assembly in the most populous province, Punjab, was dissolved late on Saturday by Khan's coalition partners, on his orders.

As per the constitution, fresh elections in both legislatures must be held within three months.

Historically, federal and provincial elections have always been held simultaneously, but the constitution does allow for separate polling dates.

General elections are due no later than mid-October, and Sharif's government is holding out hope of engineering an economic turnaround to boost its faltering popularity.

Khan still maintains a huge following, and has held a series of anti-government demonstrations to rally support for his cause, a platform based mainly on fighting corruption.