ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the next general elections in the country “will be held on time,” that is after August 2023.
“Let me make it absolutely clear that the next elections will be held on time,” PM Shehbaz told Anadolu Agency in an interview.
He was responding to questions about his predecessor and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s demand for early elections. “This government came into being through a constitutional process and enjoys the mandate of the people of Pakistan,” he added.
“The term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023 to be followed by the establishment of an interim government that will hold elections,” the prime minister explained.
The present coalition government has “representation of all political parties of the country except the PTI and is busy dealing with the issues of great importance.”
Notably, PTI chief Imran said on Saturday his party has decided to resign from all provincial assemblies, a move seen as a fresh bid to push the government for early elections in the country.
PM Shehbaz, who was elected prime minister in April after his predecessor Imran Khan lost a vote of confidence, said Pakistan’s economy “was facing multiple global and domestic challenges” and was “on the verge of financial collapse” when he assumed charge.
“The economic policies of the previous government were not pro-growth and led the economy to multiple challenges,
“Pakistan’s economy was facing excessive monetary tightening, supply-side shocks, lingering pandemic effects, waning investors’ confidence, high inflation, and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he said.
However, Shehbaz said his administration had adopted a “mix of policies to tackle the economic downturn by accepting the fact that we have a very short time to step back from the edge of bankruptcy and financial collapse.”
“No doubt, some of our policy options, like the withdrawal of untargeted subsidies, had added to the cost to the economy in the short term. But, most of our policies are more likely to offer benefits in the longer term,” he said. “This was a matter of policy choices and political will. Although such a tough decision requires huge political capital, we took the risk of taking these decisions by reverting the untargeted subsidies.
“We are also aware of the fact that our current course of action is hurting the most vulnerable and marginalised in society but we are taking care of them by announcing targeted subsidies and other relief measures,” the prime minister said.
The premier said the revival of the IMF programme and “active engagement with bilateral and multilateral partners” had eased the pressure. To tackle the economy, he noted that his government took measures to reduce the import bill, current account deficit, and pressure on the Pakistani rupee. –Agencies
