Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a federal cabinet session to discuss matters related to the dissolution of the assemblies and review the political and economic situation.
Yesterday, PM Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that he would be writing to President Dr Arif Alvi on August 9 to request the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA).
Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, the Prime Minister said, “After completing our tenure, I will write and send the advice to President Alvi to dissolve the assembly and then an interim government will take over.”
The tenure of the current National Assembly will end on August 12. If it completes its stipulated time, elections will be held within 60 days. However, if the assembly is dissolved before the completion of its tenure, the Constitution states that elections must be held within 90 days.
If the summary is moved to dissolve the lower house on August 9 (tomorrow), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be responsible for holding elections within 90 days.
However, the upcoming general elections in the country are likely to be delayed as the Council of Common Interest (CCI) has “unanimously” approved the 2023 census. This requires the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out a fresh delimitation of constituencies.
Before the assembly is dissolved, the government and the opposition must agree on a caretaker set up to fill the gap before the next general election and the installation of the newly elected government.