Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Saturday called upon PML-N to quit both national and provincial assemblies "if it is really serious about holding early elections". Addressing a press conference after party's central executive committee (CEC) meeting in which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Istiqlal chief Asghar Khan also announced his party's merger with PTI, he said that his message to Nawaz Sharif was: "Quit the assemblies and prove that you are a serious opposition".
The PML-N had been supporting the incumbent regime during the last four years, he said, adding that it was PML-N which came to rescue Zardari-Gilani regime on many occasions, which strengthened them. "The CEC took note of double talk by Nawaz Sharif on sometimes challenging the government and at other times giving it support...the time for double talk and double dealing is over", he warned.
Imran endorsed Asghar Khan's decision, saying tat he had always stood for clean politics and rule of law throughout his life and shifting the mantle to PTI was a huge endorsement of the principled politics pursued by the party. He said that the CEC noted with concern the ongoing political crisis created by the government by not implementing the SC verdict on NRO. "Prime Minister Gilani and other members of the ruling party are attacking all institutions including the Supreme Court to hide their loot of plunder", Imran said.
He said that the CEC has resolved that if the PPP regime would try to destroy the court and deny this nation rule of law, it would be a direct assault on democracy, and the PTI would resist any such move through a 'tsunami march'. "Let this be a warning to the ruling clique" he added.
The CEC also noted with deep regret the deteriorating situation in Balochistan. It expressed concern about the alarming increase in the missing persons in the province and demanded of the government to come clean on this matter. Imran said that before his rally, scheduled for March 23 in Balochistan, his party would talk to all nationalist parties in the province besides taking all Baloch leaders, living in self-exile abroad.
The CEC also demanded that any kind of military operation in the province must be stopped forthwith and serious steps taken to assuage the hurt feelings of the people of the province. He said that his party believes in devolution and smaller units for better management.
However, to study the issue in all its ramifications, he said, a committee was formed which would deliberate on the issue of the new provinces and give its report by next CEC meeting. It was also decided that the outline of the PTI manifesto would be presented in the next CEC meeting. It was also decided in the CEC that PTI would not take part in the bye-elections because they are still based on contaminated electoral rolls. Unless the electoral rolls are cleaned of fraudulent entries no election can in essence be free and fair.