Caretaker set-up: PM Shehbaz forms dialogue committee

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a five-member dialogue committee to finalise the matters related to the caretaker set-up and general elections, ARY News reported on Friday.

Sources told ARY News that PM Shehbaz Sharif constituted a five-member dialogue committee comprising senior Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leaders. The committee members include Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and Ishaq Dar.

The committee has been tasked to hold talks with the coalition parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and others.

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The premier also asked the coalition parties to constitute dialogue committees. The PML-N’s dialogue committee will stay in contact with the supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Sources added that the coalition partners will hold consultations on the caretaker set-up.

Earlier in the month, PM Shehbaz Sharif announced in his address to the nation that the incumbent government will hand over power to the caretaker set-up in August 2023.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that he assumed the prime minister’s office in April 2022 and power will be handed over to the caretaker set-up in August 2023.

‘ECP ready for general elections’

Yesterday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary announced that they are fully ready to hold general elections in the country.

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During an informal conversation with journalists outside the ECP headquarters, Omar Hamid Khan said that the commission is fully ready to hold general elections. “Four months will be required for new delimitations if new census results are approved.”

The ECP secretary said that they will make a decision in accordance with the law if new census results are approved by the federal government.

“We forwarded more than 60 recommendations to the electoral reforms committee. Almost all of ECP’s recommendations were accepted by the electoral reforms committee.”

“However, the formal announcement for the acceptance of the recommendations is yet to be made,” the secretary said.

ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal told the media that the commission would hold general elections by October 11 if assemblies are dissolved on August 12.

Census issue

Yesterday, it was also learnt that general elections could be delayed for three to four months as the federal government started mulling to approve and notify new census results.

The federal government has started mulling to approve and notify 2023 census results which would delay the organisation of general elections for three to four months.

Sources told ARY News that the federal government is deliberating on approving the new census results in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) session. The next CCI session is expected to be summoned on July 25.

Sources said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be bound to complete new delimitations if 2023 census results are notified which would require three to four months.

The notification of the new census data will delay the general polls till January or February, sources said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) hinted at not accepting general polls on old census data.