As several media outlets have reported the agreement of the coalition government on the National Assembly dissolution date, the information minister was quick to deny the reports.
The Information Minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, stated “There will be an official announcement about the date of the National Assembly’s dissolution”
Media reports suggesting an early dissolution on August 8, before the assembly’s term ends on August 12, have been met with conflicting statements from coalition party leaders.
While Federal Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar of the PPP advocated for dissolution on August 8 to allow the Election Commission of Pakistan enough time to hold elections in November, another PPP cabinet member claimed that no decision had been made within the party and that Qamar’s statement was his personal opinion.
A PML-N cabinet member mentioned that the date for dissolution would be determined by the coalition partners soon, stressing the fact that it will be a collective decision of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and other coalition parties.
According to the law, if the elected house completes its full five-year tenure, general elections occur within 60 days. In the case of early dissolution, elections are held within 90 days of dissolution. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned that he would hand over power to the caretaker setup next month, before the completion of the assembly’s tenure.
