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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed the political situation.
In the meeting, they discussed the overall political situation in the country. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present.
There has been intense speculation on the date for the dissolution of the National Assembly as the constitutional term expires on August 12. The meeting was seen with keen observation regarding the name for the post of caretaker prime minister.
It was earlier reported that the two major parties PPP and PLM-N had agreed to dissolve the National Assembly (NA) on August 8, days before the expiry of the term.
The decision is being made to take advantage of a law that calls for holding elections within 90 before the assemblies are dissolved before their term, instead of sixty days if the tenure is completed.
It was also reported that the summary for the dissolution of the lower house of the Parliament will be delivered to the president, and if not approved, the assembly will stand dissolved in 48 hours as per the law.
The PPP has also agreed with the federal government to dissolve the provincial legislature along with the National Assembly. However, it is reluctant on dissolving before the term expiry and it could send a wrong message to anti-democratic forces.
It is to be mentioned here that the lower house of the Parliament will complete its five-year tenure on August 12. The last session of the existing National Assembly is expected to be summoned soon.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said so far no decision had been taken on the date for dissolution of the National Assembly.
Reacting to media reports about the NA’s early dissolution on August 8, days before its term completes on August 12, the information minister said that the date of dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) has not been decided yet.
She said that the final date to dissolve the Lower House will be taken in consultation with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and other coalition parties.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif asserted that a senior politician or retired bureaucrat could be appointed caretaker prime minister as consultations with allied parties on interim setup were underway.
The defence minister reiterated that the national and provincial assemblies will be dissolved before the completion of their tenure. However, he said no names have been finalized for the caretaker setup.
