National Assembly dissolved in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed with opposition leader

Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi formally dissolved the National Assembly three days before its scheduled term. Efforts are on to appoint a caretaker prime minister to run the country until general elections are held later this year. President Arif Alvi on Wednesday dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ending the current government’s term three days ahead of schedule. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held formal consultations with the Leader of the Opposition on Thursday to name a caretaker prime minister to hold general elections later this year. Sharif will continue to perform his duties as prime minister until a caretaker prime minister is appointed. The notification of dissolution of the assembly issued by the President’s Office ‘Presidential Palace’ states that the National Assembly has been dissolved under Article 58 of the Constitution.

According to Article 58, if the President fails to dissolve the Assembly within 48 hours of the Prime Minister’s recommendation, the Assembly is automatically dissolved. President Alvi said in a statement, “The advice of the Prime Minister is accepted in the sixth paragraph of the notification.” His office posted on the social media platform ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, President Dr. Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly. The President dissolved the National Assembly under Article 58-1 of the Constitution on the advice of the Prime Minister. Sharif and Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz now have three days, according to the constitution, to name a caretaker prime minister. When Raja Riaz was asked about any name from his side for nomination, he said, “I have names of three people in my mind.”

According to local media, three names have been proposed, including two nominations – former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani, sent by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Apart from this, the name of Sindh Governor Kamran Tesori has been proposed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). However, no public announcement has been made by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the issue. Raja Riaz, a dissident leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is considered close to major parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and is expected not to support the government’s candidate. do. If they cannot agree on a name, the matter will be referred to a committee set up by the Speaker of the National Assembly, which must decide on the name of an interim prime minister within three days. If the committee is unable to take a decision within the stipulated period, the proposed names are sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The commission then has two days to take a final decision on the names proposed by the opposition and the government. Prime Minister Sharif said on Wednesday that he would meet opposition leader Riaz on Thursday to fulfill his constitutional obligation regarding the appointment of an interim prime minister. The move to dissolve the National Assembly comes at a time when former Prime Minister Imran Khan is waging a legal battle to overturn a corruption conviction. Khan (70) was on Saturday sentenced to three years in jail by an Islamabad trial court in the Toshakhana corruption case for illegally selling government gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. He was later arrested by the Punjab Police from his Lahore residence. Khan is currently lodged in Attock jail. He appealed against his conviction and three-year jail term in the case by filing a petition through his lawyers in the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.

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