LAHORE, July 22: Pakistan’s Punjab province is electing its chief minister on Friday amid warning from ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan that if the state machinery is used to steal the people’s mandate it will lead the country to a “Sri Lanka-like crisis.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz is chief minister candidate from the ruling coalition while Chaudhry Parvez Elahi is from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) alliance. In the current 368-member Punjab Assembly, the Opposition alliance (PTI-PML-Q) has 187 lawmakers and the PML-N-led ruling coalition 179. Incumbent Chief Minister Hamza is certain to lose his office unless there is a change of heart on the part of some Opposition MPAs (Members of the Provincial Assembly) and defect to the ruling alliance. The Supreme Court had ordered a run-off election of the Punjab Chief Minister on July 22 after 25 lawmakers of PTI were declared de-seated for voting to Hamza Shehbaz in April last election for the top post of the province. The PTI had secured a majority in the Provincial Assembly after sweeping the July 17 by polls on 20 seats. The court has ordered the deputy speaker to ensure free and fair election as no member of the assembly is barred from casting his/her vote. Khan has accused the rulers of trying their best to purchase the loyalties of his party lawmakers. “If the state machinery is used to steal public mandate the reaction of the masses will lead Pakistan to a Sri Lanka-like situation. I will not be able to control people in such a scenario,” Khan warned. The Chief Minister’s election is considered ‘very crucial’ for both Sharifs’ PML-N and Khan’s PTI as its outcome will set the tone for the future of Pakistan’s politics. For the PML-N, losing Punjab means losing the Centre. Political pundits believe that the ruling coalition will be vulnerable if it loses the election. The winning scenario will provide a “massive opportunity” to the PTI chairman to build further pressure on the rulers to call fresh elections and also corner the PML-N in Punjab which is considered a stronghold of Sharifs. (PTI)
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