On the suggestion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Dr. Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Wednesday, setting the stage for general elections no later than November 9.
If the legislature is dissolved before its five-year term is complete, the elections must be held within 90 days otherwise the constitution provides for a new legislature to be elected.
The assembly has been dissolved, and general elections will soon be held, despite the country’s ongoing political and economic issues and its participation in an IMF lending program.
The summary was signed by the president, who was in Lahore, and it read, “The Prime Minister’s advice at para 6 of the summary is approved.” Article 58(1) of the Constitution was used in the prime minister’s recommendation to dissolve the assembly, which was dated August 9, 2023.
While exercising his authority under Article 58(1), the prime minister sought the dissolution of the National Assembly only three days before its term was set to end on August 12.
Once the president signs the recommendation, the assembly is automatically dissolved per the Constitution. According to Article 58(1), the president must dissolve the National legislature if the prime minister recommends it, and if the legislature is not dissolved within that time frame, it will be considered dissolved 48 hours after the prime minister’s recommendation.
The assembly was officially disbanded after the president signed the dissolution.
As a result, the PM was supposed to have a meeting with the opposition leader this afternoon (Thursday) to settle on a caretaker PM’s title.
For weeks, rumors have circulated about who might be a candidate for caretaker prime minister, but no formal announcement has been made.
A month before the election, the government announced its plan to dissolve the assembly early in order to gain more time for campaigning.
The situation became more dire when suggestions that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar should serve as interim prime minister gained currency. The prime minister has not yet ruled out Dar’s name, despite the fact that several other names have emerged.
On Thursday (today), after his meeting with the opposition leader, a name that has been agreed upon by all parties should be made public.
If the prime minister and the leader of the opposition are unable to agree on a candidate within three days of the dissolution of the assembly (as required by Article 224-A), they must submit two nominees each to a committee of eight members of the dissolved assembly, the Senate, or both, with equal representation from the treasury and the opposition.
Prime Minister Shehbaz has already stated that he will recommend dissolving the National Assembly to the president in his farewell statement on the floor of the legislature.
The assembly members posed for pictures in the Parliament House parking lot after Shehbaz finished speaking. The group went back for some final speeches.
Among them was ex-PML-N prime minister and fiery speaker Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Abbasi told the media that the outgoing parliament was “the worst in the history of Pakistan.”
Abbasi raised concerns about the performance of the previous administration and questioned the legitimacy of taxation by the current legislature in the face of widespread evidence that its members do not contribute to the federal treasury.
Several other legislators also spoke on the House floor, recounting times when they had failed to help or uplift the disadvantaged. This is a common theme in political speeches right before elections, when candidates promise to build bridges where there are no rivers.
Shehbaz had remarked that his government’s 16-month tenure was the shortest-ever period for a government, especially when contrasted to the myriad of difficulties inherited from the previous regime, only hours before giving the advise to the president.
According to the prime minister, the coalition government had to deal with enormous challenges like the worst floods in the country and the signing of the IMF deal, which the PTI government had not only broken but had also tried to hinder in order to damage the economy and national integrity.
Shehbaz added insult to injury by blaming the PTI and claiming that no one was victimized during his 16-month time, and that he was not pleased if the party leader, Imran Khan, had been penalized.
He emphasized that people should respect and revere Allah. “Giving out candy is out of the question.”
Shehbaz reaffirmed his earlier condemnation of the attacks, saying that May 9 would go down in history as a “black day” because it marked the “worst conspiracy” against the state of Pakistan, the Pakistan Army, and COAS Asim Munir, as well as those who gave their lives defending the country.
He had earlier reported to the federal cabinet that the crisis had been brought under control within a matter of hours thanks to the military chief’s resolute leadership.
In order to settle on an interim prime minister, Shehbaz announced he would confer with opposition leader Raja Riaz.
When asked who would invest in a country when there were constant threats of protracted marches, the prime minister stated, “These 16 months were the toughest trial of my life when the country was faced with inflation, skyrocketing oil prices, and political turmoil.”
Despite the bad intentions of those who tried to sabotage the IMF accord, he claimed that the probability of default had diminished.
He said that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) had helped guide the country away from unrest by encouraging investment in the agricultural, IT, mining, and export sectors.
Shehbaz, meanwhile, praised the coalition members for their maturity, sincerity, dedication, and loyalty, all of which contributed to the country’s newfound economic stability.
He also thanked PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, and other political leaders from the ruling coalition and the opposition parties for their support and advice, and paid rich tribute to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
He claimed the current administration has made attempts to fix Balochistan and urged everyone to help the poor province. He claimed that the development of the country depended on Balochistan.
In particular, he lauded the “best diplomacy” of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the “hard work” of PPP Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar.
“The PPP should send him to the PML-N,” Shehbaz said.
When he spoke at the latest federal cabinet meeting, he emphasized the need of maintaining national unity for the country’s economic and social growth.
He said that the country’s political leaders had put aside their differences to pull the nation back from the brink of disaster.
Since the IMF accord was impossible without China’s help throughout the crisis, he praised China for its support of Pakistan as well.
He said, “Chinese Premier Li told me that he himself had talked to the IMF managing director to support Pakistan,” and he went on to say that China had rolled over a loan of $5 billion to Pakistan over the course of the past four months.
He stated that a high-level Chinese delegation recently visited Pakistan, proving that China considers Pakistan a close ally and will provide it with its full assistance.
He went on to say that the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes various projects in the agricultural, information technology (IT), industrial, and export sectors, has been officially declared by the delegation.
He predicted that the establishment of the SIFC would boost economic growth. Taking advantage of this chance will allow the federal government, the provinces, and institutions, especially the Pakistan Army, to propel the country’s development and prosperity to new heights, he said.
