NA dissolution remains talk of town

PM meets Zardari, Bilawal; decides to consult other coalition partners for consensus

ISLAMABAD:

The incumbent government’s stance on the dissolution of assemblies on Tuesday remained muddled in mixed messaging after Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb asserted that there was no final decision by the ruling party and its allies regarding its date.

“The date [of dissolution of National Assembly] will be decided in consultation with the PDM and allied parties,” Marriyum wrote on her official Twitter handle on Tuesday. “The decision will be officially announced,” she added.

Her statement – a refutation prompted by a private TV channel’s report indicating an early dissolution of the NA – seemed to differ from the government’s earlier stance, coming amid a steady stream of contradictory statements from the allies who appeared to be in a fog about the timing of the general elections.

Citing sources, the news channel had reported that the PML—N and the PPP had agreed to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8 – four days prior to the prescribed expiration of its tenure.

Meanwhile, the sources told The Express Tribune that no decision had been taken yet to dissolve the NA, adding that it would come after consultation with the coalition parties.

A meeting of the coalition parties would be called within a few days following which a summary would be sent to the president who would have 48 hours to give his assent to the dissolution of the assembly.

In the event of a refusal from the president to give his assent, the assembly would automatically stand dissolved at the expiration of 48 hours.

However, the process of consultation was still under way, the sources added.

It might be mentioned here that on Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he would hand over the reins to the caretaker set-up next month before the completion of the assembly’s five-year tenure on August 12.

“Next month, our government will complete its tenure, [but] we will leave before the completion of our tenure and an interim government will come in,” the prime minister had said while speaking at a laptop distribution ceremony.

PM consults with allies

Meanwhile, Shehbaz continued his marathon meetings to thrash out a consensus on the timing of the upcoming general elections, as well as the shape of the caretaker government that would oversee the polling process.

In a meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held at the PM House, the leaders discussed the overall political situation in the country and consulted about the caretaker set-up.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present.

According to the sources, it was decided during the meeting that other coalition parties would also be consulted.

Earlier, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar and members of the National Assembly separately called on the prime minister to discuss the current political situation in the country in detail, the PM Office Media Wing said in a statement.

The commerce minister also briefed the prime minister about the matters related to his ministry.

Separately, MNAs Nadeem Abbas Rabaira, Hamid Hameed and Abid Raza Kotla also called on the prime minister and briefed him about the issues of their respective constituencies.

Similarly, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani also called on PM Shehbaz and discussed with him the overall political situation in the country.

The progress of development projects in Balochistan was also discussed in the meeting.

The Senate chairman, according to a statement, lauded the efforts of the prime minister and his economic team for the materialisation of the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).