PM Shehbaz Sharif to leave for London today to meet Nawaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave from France on Friday (today) for London to meet PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, ARY News reported quoting sources.

According to PML-N sources, senior leaders of the party will also participate in the meeting via video link.

They added that the participants of the meeting would hold a detailed consultation on the date of the upcoming elections, names of the potential caretaker prime ministers as well as other matters.

The meeting will also discuss potential seat adjustments with allied political parties, say sources.

ECP expedites preparations for general elections 

A day earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) started printing of postal ballot papers in its preparation for the general election.

The election commission will print 10,26,000 postal ballots for the National Assembly and 4,45,500 postal ballot papers for Punjab Assembly.

The electoral body will print 1,95,000 postal ballots for Sindh Assembly, 1,72,500 ballots for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 76,500 ballot papers for Balochistan Assembly.

It is to be mentioned here that postal ballots will also be printed for the Pakistan Army troops deployed at national borders and for the government officials posted away from their residential areas.

The federal government has allocated Rs 42.4 billion for general elections in budget for fiscal year 2023-24.