PM of Pakistan signals national elections in October

Islamabad, The Gulf Observer: Indicating that general elections in Pakistan will be held on time in October, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his government would dissolve next month and hand over the reigns to a caretaker setup.

Sharif’s televised address on Thursday to the nation and announcement of the caretaker government came three months before the general elections scheduled in October.

The current five-year term of the National Assembly, or the lower house of the bicameral parliament, ends on August 13 and is the 10th elected parliament since 1973, when Pakistan adopted its current constitution.

It first elected Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI], as prime minister on August 18, 2018, but removed his government in a no-confidence vote in April last year and then elected Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz [PML-N], to the coveted position.

Sharif was elected with support from a coalition of 11 parties — known as Pakistan Democratic Movement.

Khan has blamed a conspiracy to topple his government and has been demanding elections ever since being removed from office.

According to the Constitution, the lower house is elected for a five-year term, and before new elections, an “apolitical” setup is installed with the mandate to hold fresh elections.

Sharif said he was given the “sacred responsibility” of running the country by the nation as prime minister in April last year.

“We will return this responsibility in August 2023 to the caretaker government,” he maintained.