The ruling coalition government of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is preparing to hold the farewell session of the National Assembly and announce the dissolution to bring in a caretaker setup and move towards the general elections.
According to sources in the government, the session is expected to begin on Friday, during which some important lawmaking and electoral reforms will be conducted while lawmakers would give their respective farewell speeches.
“The session will continue until the dissolution of the Assembly,” said a source in the National Assembly Secretariat.
The source also confirmed that the agenda of the session is likely to be sent President Arif Alvi for approval.
“The important Electoral Reforms Bill will be passed on July 24 in the National Assembly and on July 26 (after approval of the lower and upper house) the bill will be forwarded to the President for approval on the same day,” confirmed the government source.
This important development comes at a time when Sharif and other top ministers of his cabinet have emphasised that there would be no delay or any extension in the term of the National Assembly, insisting that the national and two provincial legislatures may be dissolved a few days before the end of their term to give additional 30 days for election campaigning to political parties.
“There will be no extension in the National Assembly’s term. The assembly is completing its term. We have even kept an option of early dissolution of the assembly open,” said Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also stated that the country will move towards political stability after the upcoming general elections, which would have a positive effect on the financial stability as well.
“I am optimistic that after we conduct the elections in a timely manner, we will be able to return to a sense of political stability. The country will move towards political stability after holding the general elections,” he added.
Pakistan is moving towards a political showdown as political parties in the coalition ruling government are joining heads to discuss the caretaker setup with a prime mandate to hold general elections, while new party formations are also happening at fast pace, comprising of detached and defected members of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
However, this electoral race may not have any space left for former Prime Minister Imran Khan or his leftover party leaders as his opposition parties and also those who left him to form new political forces, have been giving serious and exposing statements his policies, intentions and his anti-military and anti-establishment agendas.
While a popular narrative and a healthy manifesto is what constitutes a political party, a timely electoral process and its completion would certainly clear many could of uncertainty hovering over Pakistan.
