National Assembly to be dissolved by August 13: law minister

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Thursday that the National Assembly (NA) will be dissolved by August 13.

While talking to a private news channel, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that a caretaker set-up will be established after the completion of the National Assembly’s tenure. He, however, said that the dissolution of the assembly before its tenure cannot be ruled citing the current political situation.

Regarding the amendments in the Election Act, he said that former premier and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s lifetime disqualification has ended. He added that Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen are now eligible to contest the elections.

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The law minister said that an individual will not face lifetime disqualification anymore in accordance with today’s law as the maximum disqualification period is five years. He claimed that the disqualification period is not more than five years in the Constitution.

“If someone thinks that a person is a beneficiary of these amendments, then it would be someone else tomorrow. It is the constitutional jurisdiction of the Parliament to legislate and amend laws. The legislation work cannot be carried out by any institutions other than the Parliament.”

Tarar clarified that not a single decision can be made without consultations with the partners in a coalition government. He added that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments were presented before the heads of the coalition parties before being presented to the federal cabinet.

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Last month, the incumbent government’s coalition partners held consultations over pre-date dissolution of the National Assembly (NA).

“The matter was discussed in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meetings with the PPP’s delegation and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman,” sources said.

It is to be mentioned here that the National Assembly will complete its constitutional term on August 13, 2023, while the ruling coalition consulting over dissolving the house, a few days earlier, on 09 or 10 August, according to sources.