LAHORE: On Monday, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) decides that it will not support Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as chief minister of Punjab.
The MWM Political Council said in a statement issued by the party that it made the choice after consulting with the party’s leadership.
The MWM has reportedly raised “severe reservations over certain of Elahi’s acts,” and according to the party spokesman, Syeda Zahra Naqvi, a member of the Punjab Assembly, has stated that she will not support Elahi with a vote of confidence.
The spokeswoman added that the choice was made in accordance with the leadership of the party’s directives.
Legal argument: After the court pledge, are Elahi’s hands tied?
Governor Balighur Rehman asked Elahi to hold a vote of confidence two days before the Punjab Assembly was scheduled to be dissolved on December 23, 2022, as stated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan.
Speaker Sibtain Khan had interfered, claiming that it was impossible because the Punjab Assembly was already in session and that calling a new one would be against the law.
The governor subsequently denotified Elahi on December 22. However, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader had been reinstated by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in exchange for his promise not to dissolve the assembly prior to the next scheduled hearing date on January 11.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had announced that the party would request a vote of confidence from Elahi as soon as feasible, a day after the LHC had reinstated Elahi.
It is important to remember that the MWM already declared its unqualified support for the previous ruling party in the Islamabad local government elections. In order to defeat the incumbent coalition, it had hoped that citizens of the federal capital would support the PTI.