Situationer: PTI unnerved by Elahi 'taking the wheel' on dissolution issue.

Despite the political drama unfolding in Punjab, for a while it seemed that Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had assumed complete control of the province through the good offices of his 'loyal' allies, the Parvez Elahi-faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q).

In fact, right up to the point that Mr Khan formally announced his plan to dissolve assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a bid to force early elections, it was thought that both coalition partners were, pretty much, on the same page. This, PTI circles figured, would be enough to destabilise the embattled PML-N-led coalition in the Centre.

But in light of recent events, where the scales seem to have swung in the favour of the more cautious Chaudhrys, there is a growing disquiet among the ranks of PTI loyalists, who are apprehensive of Mr Elahi 'taking the wheel' - as it were - on the question of when, how, and if at all, to dissolve the provincial legislatures.

The PTI has been insistent that Chief Minister Parvez Elahi will take a vote of confidence from the Punjab Assembly ahead of the Jan 11 hearing in the Lahore High Court of a petition against the provincial governor's order to remove him and his cabinet.

The party also plans to see the Punjab Assembly dissolved as soon as the court removes the bar it imposed, i.e. that the legislature should remain intact at least until its next hearing.

The PTI has managed to get the Punjab Assembly session rescheduled from Jan 11 to Jan 9 in a bid to stage a vote of confidence for the chief minister. However, there is still confusion as no one knows what will be on the agenda of this session.

A PTI MPA Dawn spoke to claimed that a vote of confidence is not on agenda for Jan 9 so far.

This is ostensibly because Mr Elahi seems to have prevailed upon the PTI chief not to rush into dissolution. He has now gone on the record as saying there is no need to take a vote of confidence as per the governor's orders, because he deems that order to be in contravention of the law and Constitution.

Governor Balighur Rehman, however, is adamant that his directions regarding the vote of confidence are binding on the chief minister and that in case he fails to do so, Mr Elahi would lose the CM office.

It is exactly this sort of development that is making PTI loyalists jittery, as it is being interpreted as defiance of Imran Khan's directives.

Parvez, Moonis dichotomy

While Mr Elahi, who has been propagating for the continuation of...

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