—– Says ECP will decide when the polls will take place
—– Sees elections in October or November
—– Suggests dissolution of NA before schedule not on cards
By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Wednesday that the current govern-ment’s tenure will culminate on August 14, 2023, and the Election Commis-sion of Pakistan (ECP) will announce the date for the next elections.
The remarks from the premier comes a day after his meeting with the chief of the ruling alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, wherein the latter stressed the need for dissolution of assemblies and holding of general elections on time. It was also reported last week that meetings between PML-N and PPP bigwigs in the United Arab Emirates have purportedly resulted in a consensus on a number of issues, including names for the caretaker set-up and a power-sharing formula if the two parties win the next election.
However, days later the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) clarified that no “final decision” had been reached in the meetings held between the leadership of the ruling coalition parties abroad.
“All the news about reaching agreements during the meetings and subsequent differences are mere speculations,” PPP leader Shazia Marri had said. 0During an address in Islamabad today, the PM addressed the prevailing uncer-tainty regarding the timing of the polls. He stated, “I assure you that our gov-ernment will end on August 14, and whenever elections happen, the ECP will announce it, and I hope that whichever government comes prioritises educa-tion.”
The prime minister expressed his regret over the fact that neighbouring coun-tries have made greater progress than Pakistan, mentioning a time when Paki-stan used to compete with them. He also expressed his disappointment that Pakistan was no longer in the race when it came to competing with its neighbours.
Nevertheless, the premier acknowledged that nations face difficulties, and he cited Germany and Japan as prime examples. He emphasised that these coun-tries were devastated during World War II but managed to make remarkable comebacks.
He highlighted such examples as a source of hope, stating that the nation had the courage to prosper and rise.
The prime minister also spoke about how grateful he was to the countries al-lies, China has rolled over $5 billion in loans to Pakistan in the last three months “when we were in need.”
He further mentioned that Pakistan received $2bn from Saudi Arabia, adding Pakistan was expecting $1bn from the UAE in the coming days. The prime minister acknowledged that simply expressing gratitude to these countries was not enough. However, he stressed that relying solely on financial assistance was not a sus-tainable approach and that education was the key to overcoming the current situation.
