As per a report by ANI, the announcement followed a meeting with parliamentary leaders during a dinner event held to honour the members of parliament.

The discussions during the gathering revolved around the current political situation in the country, as per The Express Tribune‘s report.

As reported by ANI, during the gathering, Prime Minister Shehbaz actively sought input from the attendees and engaged in discussions about the appointment of a caretaker prime minister and the caretaker setup. On August 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to formally advise the President on dissolving the National Assembly.

According to constitutional provisions, the President must sign the advice within 48 hours to effectuate the dissolution. If, for any reason, the President does not sign the advice, the Assembly will be automatically dissolved, The Express Tribune reported.

Additionally, Prime Minister Shehbaz provided reassurance that he would engage in three days of consultations with the opposition to finalize the appointment of the caretaker prime minister. Following this process, he will submit the chosen candidate’s name to the President.

In the event of a failure to reach an agreement within the stipulated time frame, The Express Tribune reported that the responsibility will shift to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The ECP will then take charge of nominating a caretaker prime minister from the proposed names.

Significantly, the Prime Minister emphasized the successful outcome of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stressing the crucial role of economic stability in driving the nation’s advancement, according to ANI.

Earlier this week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the upcoming elections in Pakistan would be held on the basis of the 2023 digital census, Dawn reported.

The Prime Minister, whose government is anticipated to transfer power to a caretaker setup in August, made these remarks during a recorded interview on the Aaj News show ‘Faisla Aap Ka,’ which was broadcast on Tuesday.

“We have to hold the elections on the basis of the new census … When a census has been conducted, the [polls] should be held on its basis unless there is an obstacle that cannot be overcome. But I don’t see [any such hurdle],” Dawn quoted Sharif as saying.

Sharif added, “A meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) — the body that approves census results — was expected.”

Sharif further noted the census results would be referred to the CCI as soon as they were finalised.

According to ANI report referencing Dawn, Prime Minister Sharif’s statement differs from the previous assertions made by his ministers, who had stated that the upcoming election would be conducted based on the 2017 census.

When asked about the possibility of any delays in elections, he said that this should not be the case, however, adding that “the ball will be in the election commission’s court”.

This decision, however, prompted a terse response from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), one of the ruling allies in the coalition government in Pakistan that maintains Karachi’s population has been undercounted in the new census, as per Dawn.

Last week, PM Sharif held a meeting with its leaders in Karachi, in an apparent bid to appease the party, where he assured them that any decision on the matter would be made after consultation with all coalition partners, Dawn reported.

Earlier, PM Sharif had said that the National Assembly will be dissolved before August 12 with the consultation of the allied parties. In an interview at a Geo News programme, he said the tenure of the National Assembly will end on August 12 and before that, the assembly will be dissolved, ANI reported.

Sharif further said the decision about the caretaker PM will be taken in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and before that he would consult all the allied parties and Pakistan Muslim League(N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif. 

(With inputs from ANI)

Updated: 04 Aug 2023, 10:30 AM IST