Planning, Development and Special Measures Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Tuesday that the 90-day deadline cannot be met if elections are held on the basis of fresh census results.
The coalition government is currently in a quandary as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – a key partner in the ruling coalition – has made it clear that it will not allow elections to be held on the old count, making the polls timely. But there are reservations.
However, other parties in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) disagreed with the MQM-P and announced not to notify the digital census citing several legal hurdles.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif surprised everyone when he said that elections would be held based on the latest census exercise.
This sudden change of mind left everyone searching for the reasons behind the new development.
The Planning Minister said, “…I have already said that if the new census is approved, the 90-day limit will be exceeded. will do.”
Defending his stand, the minister mentioned that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would have to start delimitation based on the new census – and it would take a few months.
The federal planning minister said that if we want to enter the 90-day cycle, we will have to agree to hold elections based on the old census.
On holding the elections, the minister said that after the election law was amended to empower the Election Commission, the ECP, not the government, was responsible for announcing the dates.
Caretaker Prime Minister
After the end of the government’s term, a caretaker prime minister will be appointed until the election of new rulers.
The planning minister said that the assemblies will be dissolved prematurely and the name of the caretaker prime minister will be finalized two to three days before the end of the government’s term.
“You will see, God willing, the process will be by consensus.”
Meanwhile, sources told JEE News that the coalition partners will hold the final round of talks on the appointment of caretaker prime minister today.
Sources said that the parties will exchange the names of their respective candidates.
