LAHORE (National Times) – Amid hectic politicking in country’s largest province, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) top brass on Saturday announced that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi would take a vote of confidence.

PTI’s announcement comes in the wake of the Lahore High Court’s order that, on the condition of bounding the CM to obtain a vote of confidence before dissolving the assembly, suspended Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman’s notification barring Mr Elahi from holding the CM office.

Speaking to media persons outside deposed premier Imran Khan’s Zaman park residence in Lahore, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, flanked by provincial minister Aslam Iqbal, said the Punjab CM would dissolve the Punjab Assembly after obtaining the vote of confidence. Fawad while reiterating demand for snap elections said the incumbent rulers had disappointed the masses.

Earlier, PTI chief Imran Khan had repeatedly announced that he would dissolve the Punjab and KP assemblies in a bid to exert pressure on the government to hold fresh elections. He said the assemblies would be dissolved on Dec 17 or Dec 23. But that political fiasco in the province did not let that happen. Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman had called the assembly session and directed the CM to obtain a vote of confidence but Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan rejected the notification terming it “illegal”. The governor in response denotified Mr Elahi as Punjab CM.

The CM, in response, moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) which suspended the governor’s notification. However, the court bound the CM to refrain from dissolving the assembly until he obtained a vote of confidence.