By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday his coalition government would complete its term on August 14 and the election regulator would decide whether to hold polls in October or November.
Sharif’s announcement came a day after he met with the leader of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who urged him to dissolve the assemblies and ensure timely elections.
The coalition government, which includes Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), came to power in April last year after ousting former premier Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote.
Khan, who leads the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been demanding early elections.
“I assure you that our government’s tenure will end on August 14, and whenever the elections will take place, either in October or November, the Election Commission of Pakistan will announce it,” Sharif said at an education-related event in Islamabad.
“I pray that whichever government comes into power gives number one priority to education as the country will not progress without it.”
Last week, media reports said PML-N and PPP leaders had held meetings in the United Arab Emirates and agreed on names for a caretaker set-up and a power-sharing formula for the next government. The PPP later denied any final decision had been made.
Last month, Pakistan’s Senate passed a bill to amend the Elections Act, 2017, giving more autonomy to the election regulator to set election dates without consulting other state institutions.
The move came after a clash between the judiciary and parliament over election delays in two provinces where Khan’s PTI dissolved provincial assemblies in January.
The Supreme Court ordered the polls to be held in Punjab province on May 14 despite objections from the election commission on administrative and financial grounds. The court also directed the central bank to release funds for the polls and submit a report.
The government accused the judiciary of overstepping its constitutional role, while the election commission sought legislation to empower it to make independent decisions on national elections.
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