Pakistan, again: PM Shehbaz Sharif to dissolve Parliament on August 9
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif will dissolve the National Assembly, the Lower House of the bicameral Parliament, on August 9, and seek fresh elections, the media reported on Friday.
Next Wednesday, he will send formal advice to the President for the dissolution of the National Assembly.
On Thursday, he announced this decision after a meeting with parliamentary leaders at a dinner in honor of the Members of National Assembly (MNAs), where the South Asian country’s political situation was thoroughly discussed, The Express Tribune reported.
He sought their input and discussed the arrangement for the caretaker PM and the accompanying setup. After three days of consultation with the opposition, he will submit the name of the caretaker PM to President Arif ur-Rehman Alvi.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, whose son is the son—in—law of former PM Nawaz Sharif, is among the frontrunners for the post of caretaker premier.
According to constitutional provisions, the President must sign the advice within 48 hours to effectuate the dissolution. If, for any reason, he does not sign the advice, the National Assembly will stand automatically dissolved, the media outlet said.
However, if no agreement is reached, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will step in and nominate a candidate for the caretaker PM from the proposed names.
According to the media reports, during his meeting with coalition partners, PM Sharif highlighted the successful negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), underscoring the importance of economic stability for the nation’s progress.
Earlier this week, he said the upcoming general elections in Pakistan would be held on the basis of the 2023 digital census, Dawn reported.
“We have to hold the elections on the basis of the new census … When a census has been conducted, the (polls) should be held on this basis unless there is an obstacle that cannot be overcome. But I don’t see (any such hurdle) ”Dawn quoted Sharif as saying.
He said that a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) — the body that approves census results — was expected. The census results would be referred to the CCI as soon as they were finalized.
Earlier, his ministers said the upcoming election would be held on the basis of the 2017 census.
PM Sharif’s decision, however, prompted a terse response from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a ruling alliance partner, that claims Karachi’s population has been undercounted in the new census.
Last week, PM Sharif held a meeting with the MQM-P leaders in Karachi and assured them that any decision on the matter would be made after consultation with all coalition partners.
Earlier, he said the National Assembly will be dissolved before its tenure ends on August 12.
A decision about the caretaker PM will be taken in consultation with the Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and before that, he would consult all the allied parties and Pakistan Muslim League(N) chief Nawaz Sharif.
