ISLAMABAD: After much deliberation, the coalition partners have rejected PTI’s demand for early elections and have decided that Shehbaz Sharif’s government would complete its tenure till August 2023, different media houses reported on Monday while citing their sources.
The reports said: “The government has also decided to take tough decisions in a bid to steer the country out of an economic crisis. As Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has left for Doha, Qatar, for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the tough measures will reportedly be taken in a couple of days.”
Amid facing louder calls to dissolve assemblies and announce snap polls, the allies expressed the resolve that they would not yield to any pressure.
The development comes a day after PTI Chairman and former premier Imran Khan announced that his party would kick off its much-hyped long march against the government to the federal capital on May 25 to force it to call early elections.
According to the reports, the insiders said the allies were of the view that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had already announced a date for the next elections hence it is not possible to hold polls early.
The sources added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair an important meeting of the coalition parties on Wednesday in which the future course of action regarding the next general elections would be announced.
The allies have also decided that PTI’s long march will be handled in a democratic way and they will not be allowed to hold a rally on Srinagar Highway in Islamabad. Instead, the PTI will be provided with a ground to hold a rally or stage sit-in as an alternate to Srinagar Highway, the sources added.
The decision comes after a meeting of the heads of the ruling alliance for consultations amid pressure from the PTI to announce early elections.
The allied parties’ heads met last night to discuss the unstable political situation in the country after the announcement of a long march toward Islamabad by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The government is in a fix as Pakistan’s economic situation gets worse due to rising fears that the country might go bankrupt if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program is not revived.
The Fund has demanded the government remove subsidies on petroleum products which are likely to increase inflation and the ruling parties are having parleys on the matter because it has a high political cost.
The Shehbaz Sharif government has stated that it needs support from “all sides” to take tough decisions in order to revive the economy. The federal capital is rife with rumours that in case the required support was not assured in a couple of days, the NA may be dissolved, and snap elections will be announced.
