Pakistan National Assembly dissolved: What's next?

Amid political turmoil and an ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi on Wednesday dissolved the National Assembly three days before the completion of its five-year tenure.

The dissolution came on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, setting the stage for a general election, reports Dawn. It has paved the way for a caretaker government to oversee elections in which former prime minister Imran Khan will be unable to participate.

A statement issued by the Presidency just before midnight read, “President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly under Article 58(1) on the advice of the prime minister.” After the approval of the summary, the federal cabinet also stands dissolved.

Addressing the federal cabinet, PM Shehbaz confirmed that Wednesday was his government’s last day in power. The PM said the coalition government sacrificed their political capital for the sake of the country as they had a “gigantic task to save the motherland from looming default”. After the cabinet meeting, he went to the Parliament House to address the National Assembly.

On the other hand, the government failed to name the caretaker prime minister as the premier and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz could not meet for this purpose — a constitutional requirement. Both will meet Thursday as under the Constitution, they have three days after the dissolution of the assemblies to finalise the name of the caretaker prime minister.

Who will be caretaker PM?

On the other hand, the ruling parties refrained from revealing the name of the caretaker prime minister who would spearhead the interim set-up till general elections, which are likely to be delayed after the notification of the latest census.

A key meeting between the PM and National Assembly Opposition Leader Raja Riaz is expected to be held Thursday. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the premier said he will meet the opposition leader today to evolve a consensus on the name of the interim PM.

According to Shehbaz, they will have three days to decide on the matter after the dissolution of the assembly.

In case there was no agreement on any name, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee. If the committee failed to make any decision, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the list of names shared with the commission.

Soon after the National Assembly’s late-night dissolution, troops were seen at different points in Islamabad. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the soldiers’ presence was because of security reasons or VIP movement.

What next for Pakistan, and Imran Khan?

According to reports, the Pakistani government is considering postponing the elections, as it struggles to stymie security and political challenges that threaten to destabilise an already cash-strapped country.

The instability in Pakistan has also put the United States on alert, reports NDTV.

"We're obviously concerned about any actions – particularly violent actions – that can contribute to instability in Pakistan or, frankly, any other country with whom we share a set of common interests when it comes to counterterrorism," said White House official John Kirby said, as quoted by news agency AFP.

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats in the last general elections held in the country in 2018. The former cricket star was sworn in as prime minister three days later.

With general elections looming again, Pakistan's military, which has staged at least three successful coups since 1947, once again casts its shadow across the strife-torn country.

Experts believe that Khan's popularity, and his ouster, both were largely influenced by the military with whom he fell out routinely. The former Pakistan cricket captain ran a campaign of dissent against the military, alleging that the military had interfered in politics. He even accused an intelligence officer as the "mastermind" of an assassination attempt on him in November during which he was shot in the leg.

Despite staging protests for early elections and pulling his PTI lawmakers from the parliament, Khan's crusade against the military ultimately went kaput as he was slapped with over 200 cases.

/KN/