Pakistan's current government's tenure will end on August 14, 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday, adding the dates for the general elections will be announced soon. The latest remarks from the Premier came a day after holding a 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, Pakistan English daily Dawn reported.
While addressing an event in Islamabad, the Prime Minister acknowledged the current situation was not in the favour of the country and speculated uncertainty regarding the timing of the polls. "I assure you that our government will end on August 14, and whenever elections happen, the ECP will announce it, and I hope that whichever government comes prioritises education," Sharif said as the country continues to battle economic crisis for the past two years.
It is worth mentioning the current Shehbaz government came into power in April last year after throwing the Imran Khan regime. Since then, the government has been facing multiple turbulence-- be it economic, inflation or domestic unrest. Khan, who has been facing multiple charges, on several occasions demanded early elections. However, his demand was declined by the Election Commission.
Earlier in May this year, when Khan was arrested by National Accountability Bureau on corruption charges, the country witnessed massive violence wherein the protestors torched public properties including Army headquarters.
Pakistan was no longer in the race: Shehbaz
Meanwhile, addressing the event, PM Sharif expressed displeasure over the current situation and acknowledged that neighbouring countries made greater progress than Pakistan, mentioning a time when Pakistan 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. Notably, Pakistan is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the northwest and Iran to the west while China borders the country in the northeast. Although the relations with New Delhi remained tense, it received whopping funds from its "all-weather friend"- China.
The prime minister said he would be "grateful" to China for rolling over $5 billion in loans to Pakistan in the last three months “when we were in need.”
