National Assembly to be dissolved before Aug 12: PM

Shehbaz Sharif said that Election Commission will announce a date for the next elections.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the National Assembly will be dissolved before August 12 with consultation of the allied parties.

In an interview with a private news channel, he said the tenure of the National Assembly will end on August 12 and before that the assembly will be dissolved, while the Election Commission will announce a date for the next elections.

He said the decision about the caretaker prime minister 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-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Talking about performance of his government, he said in the last 15 months, Pakistan was saved from default with the prayers of the people and the status and dignity of the country was restored among friendly and brotherly countries.

He further said cheap oil was bought from Russia while the government signed an agreement with Azerbaijan under which the government of Azerbaijan will offer one cargo every month at a price suitable to Pakistan. Cheap gas would also be bought from Qatar.

After COVID-19 the gas prices came down to three dollars, but the PTI chief was focused on targeting the opposition and imposing dictatorship in the country and showed negligence and did not buy cheap gas, he reminded.

He stressed that no case of corruption surfaced during his tenure, adding this year there was a bumper wheat crop while the production of cotton would also be better than in many past years.

Shehbaz said Special Investment Facilitation Council was formed to undertake comprehensive economic recovery, attract foreign investment, bring about agricultural revolution, equip youth with tools of information technology and exploit mineral resources, adding all the federal and provincial governments would strive to achieve goals set by the council.

Talking about measures to provide relief to the people, he said the federal government increased the salaries of government employees of grade 18 and below by 35 percent and of above grade 18 by 30 percent besides increasing pensions by 17.5 percent. Similarly the government of Punjab also raised the salaries of its employees by the same percentage.

To a question, he said in the past politicians and technocrats became caretakers, adding the caretaker prime minister should be impartial so that nobody could raise objection on the result of next elections.

He said according to constitution and law, it was responsibility of the Election Commission to announce date for elections. Pakistan needed national integrity and a charter of economy so it could focus its resources on economic revival and progress, he added.

Shehbaz said the Council of Common Interests would give approval to the population census. Population was a big challenge for Pakistan as huge resources were needed to give employment to millions of people and usher in economic revolution, he opined.