The parliament of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was dissolved on Wednesday after Governor Ghulam Ali approved the summary sent by the chief minister, Mahmood Khan, paving the way for an early election at a time of rising popular discontent over worsening economic conditions and curbs on public freedoms.
The move comes days after the dissolution on a similar pattern of the 397-member Punjab Assembly, as former prime minister Imran Khan has vowed to step away from the “corrupt political system” and force snap elections by resigning from the provincial legislatures where his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party is in power.
Khan has also banked on his popularity and wide grassroot support to force elections, and has since his ouster staged rallies across the country, calling for the vote.
According to the Constitution, the assembly was automatically disbanded 48 hours after the chief minister called for it to be dissolved. The Constitution also stipulates that elections must be held within 90 days.
A notification from the governor’s office was sent to the chief minister and Akram Khan Durrani, leader of the opposition, saying the assembly and the provincial cabinet were dissolved with immediate effect, in accordance with Section 1 of Article 112 of the Constitution.
The notification further read that in terms of Section 4 of Article 224-A, “the incumbent chief minister, Mahmod Khan, shall continue to hold office to perform day-to-day affairs of the province till the appointment of the caretaker chief minister.”
According to Article 224(1-A) of the Constitution, the governor must appoint a caretaker chief minister within three days, with the help of the chief minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing parliament.
