The Pakistan government on late Wednesday night announced to dissolve its parliament. Almost three days, before the completion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government. The proposal came from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, paving the way towards the general election in November.
It has been reported that "The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution," read an official statement issued by the President's Office.
In a statement released after the dissolution, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi said that the premier was also asked for the formation of an interim government under Article 224 of the Constitution.
"The parliamentary affairs ministry will issue a notification on the approval of the summary and the formation of the caretaker government, he added.
As per the Constitution, general elections are to be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly or the completion of the parliament's term. But reports suggest that the outgoing government has warned that the election might be delayed until next year if Pakistan's election commission opts for redistricting ahead of an election, based on the results of a recent census.
Sharif also bid farewell to Pakistan Army HQ on Tuesday evening, 8 August.
On Saturday, 5 August, Imran Khan leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was arrested and jailed for three years for concealing assets. This means the 70-year-old former cricketer cannot be a part of the election campaign for the upcoming election.
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