Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Sunday ruled out the possibility of general elections in Pakistan before August 2023 after PTI Chairman Imran Khan decided his party and allies would quit assemblies.
\nThe former prime minister has called off his long march to Islamabad and instead announced that his party would soon be resigning from the country’s assemblies \u2014 including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, where the party rules.
\nFlooding across Pakistan left one-third of the country under water, destroyed around two million homes and business premises, washed away 7,000 kilometres (4,500 miles) of roads, and collapsed 500 bridges \u2014 while water is still stagnant in several parts of the country.
\n“Also, in March or April, the results of the new census will be released. The Sindh government and the [people of the] province have a clear stance: next elections will be held on the basis of the new census.”
\nIn case the new census is out by March or April, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will take at least four to five months for delimitation and the country will ultimately move towards polls in August.
\n“This is an administrative and natural timetable that might not change,” the minister said as he strongly opposed holding country-wide elections.
\nIqbal hinted that the elections could be held in October as it is a Constitutional requirement to hold them during a stipulated time frame.
\nThe federal minister asked the PTI chief to put an end to his “negative politics”, return to the Parliament, and hold negotiations with the coalition government.
\n“Imran Khan should partake in the [meetings of the committee for electoral reforms] if he wants to ensure that the next elections aren’t controversial,” the minister noted.
\nInterior Minister Rana Sanaullah \u2014 before Khan called off his march \u2014 had also asked the PTI chief to return to the assembly as democracy could not flourish if the opposition decides against holding talks.
\nIqbal’s statement came after Khan \u2014 who has ended the long march \u2014 told a charged rally in Pindi that his party had decided that they would not remain a part of the “corrupt political system”, and quit all the assemblies.
\nKhan has called off his long march to Islamabad, but has not announced when will he quit the assemblies. Although, the PTI chief said that he would hold consultations on the date later on.
\nThe PTI began its long march toward the federal capital on October 28 in an attempt to force the coalition government to early elections. The march was abruptly stopped on November 3 after Khan was wounded in an assassination bid.
\nIt was later resumed from the same point but led by PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Khan then joined his supporters a day earlier, when he called off the march.
\nFollowing Khan’s announcement to call off the march, leaders from the ruling coalition \u2014 including Foreign Minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sanaullah, and Iqbal \u2014 criticised the entire campaign and termed it a “flop show”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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