Former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that by-elections, and not general elections, would be held in case Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members of the National Assembly (MNAs) resigned from their seats, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.   

He made it clear that now when the opposition’s no-trust motion had been tabled in the National Assembly (NA), Prime Minister Imran Khan could not dissolve the NA. “The resignation given by Usman Buzdar as Punjab chief minister is also not technically correct,” he added.  

Reacting to the ruling party’s allegation of a ‘conspiracy’ behind the motion, former prime minister asked if that was the case, where was its proof? “Such letters are a routine,” Gilani said while referring to the ‘letter’ Prime Minister Imran Khan had showed to the crowd at PTI’s public gathering in Islamabad on March 27. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPqBsMs3nMU

“Did not Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi meet with the USA officials who had come to Islamabad to attend the Organisation of Islamic Conference’s (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting?” he questioned. 

On the other hand, PPP Punjab’s parliamentary party meeting was held with Parliamentary Leader Syed Hassan Murtaza in the chair.

Senior PPP leaders Nadeem Afzal Chan, Syed Anayat Ali Shah, MPAs Ali Haider Gilani, Makhdoom Usman Mehmood, Mumtaz Chang, Shazia Abid, Ghazanfar Langah and others attended the meeting.       

Reporter: Usman Javed