The PTI, according to the former prime minister Imran Khan, won't be "trapped" in the government's "ill-intentioned plan" to postpone elections, and he threatened to march with his party in the event that the Supreme Court's directive to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 is disregarded.
Imran claimed his party will move the Supreme Court for elections as soon as possible in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab if the government did not dissolve the "remaining assemblies" by May 14 while speaking to the PTI's "May Day" rally in Lahore from inside his car.
"I want to say the PTI will come out on streets and we will bring the nation out with us," the PTI leader declared if the government did not accede to this demand, refused to recognise the Supreme Court's ruling on the Punjab elections, disobeyed the chief justice and his fellow judges, and violated the Constitution.
He urged his supporters to get ready for the "battle for Haqeeqi Azadi (true freedom)," saying, "I'm warning the thieves and their handlers that if you go against the Constitution and think you won't accept the SC decision... then my nation will come out with me and on the country's streets we will get the rule of law established."
Imran claimed that the government was avoiding elections because it dreaded losing to the PTI and desired to banish him from politics.
The PTI leader said that the supreme court had already set May 14 as the date for the Punjab elections, adding that the only situation in which they wouldn't take place was if the government supported his party's position on joint elections.
Imran stated that the PTI's need for one-day elections was that all remaining legislatures be dissolved by May 14. He also stated that the PTI was only negotiating with the government on the top justice's recommendation.
But "if they're making excuses for [holding] elections after [passing the] budget... if they think we will get caught up in their evil scheme and wait for elections until September... then don't have any misconception," he said, adding that the PTI will pursue legal action in such a situation.
Imran said that the populace will not put up with the "mafia" acting in a fashion that amounted to "running away from elections" in a tweet earlier today.
He said, "Our country will not be able to withstand a massive street movement in its current precarious economic situation."
On the Supreme Court's recommendation, negotiations between the government and the PTI started last week, ending a protracted standoff. The sides are now anticipated to convene the last round of negotiations tomorrow (Tuesday) after two rounds of discussions.
However, Imran's demand that the National Assembly be dissolved by May 14 in order to facilitate a successful outcome of negotiations has made the chances that the dialogue will produce fruitful results "very slim" now.
Imran's ultimatum was deemed "imppracticable" by the administration, who also urged him to be more flexible in order to forward this discussion between the two parties.
Election deadlock
The PTI wants early elections, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where assemblies were dissolved in January, while the government insists that elections be held nationwide on the same day in October. This impasse is the backdrop against which efforts to reach a consensus are made.
The Punjab Assembly general elections will take place on May 14 according to a directive issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan earlier this month during a hearing on a PTI plea. The administration, however, had disregarded the rulings of the supreme court.
The Supreme Court gave the country's major political parties until April 26 to reach an agreement on the date for elections to the province and national assemblies so that they may be held concurrently throughout the nation after repeated back and forth the previous week.
Shehbaz maintained on April 26 that concurrent elections will be held in October or November after the current National Assembly's term ended on August 13 and that parliament would have the last word on whether to begin negotiations with the opposition.
He said that there was widespread support for keeping the lines of communication open and that the administration wished to speak with the PTI, albeit the format had not yet been chosen. The choice to have the negotiations must be made by parliament, not by you or me, the speaker said.
In order to facilitate communication, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani established a committee with four representatives from each side of the political spectrum.
