Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the two major stakeholders in the Centre, have agreed to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8.

The incumbent National Assembly’s five-year constitutional term will expire at midnight on August 12, four days after both parties reportedly agreed to dissolve the legislature.

According to sources, August 9 and 10 were also discussed, but it was decided to go with August 8 to avoid any complications in the assembly’s early dissolution.

If the president does not approve the summary, the assembly will be dissolved after 48 hours, giving the government enough time to meet its goal of early dissolution.

“A general election to the National Assembly or a provincial assembly shall be held within a period of sixty days immediately following the day on which the term of the assembly is due to expire unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved,” Article 224 of the Constitution states.

However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is bound to hold the general polls within 90 days if the assembly is dissolved before its constitutional term, according to the Constitution’s Article 224(2).

“Next month, our government will complete its tenure. We will leave before the completion of our tenure and an interim government will come,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at an event recently.

The PPP had earlier proposed that the assembly should be dissolved ahead of its constitutional term.