Assemblies will complete tenure, no chance of early elections: Ahsan Iqbal
Would be unfair to the smaller provinces if the elections are held on the results of the '98 census, says interior minister
November 06, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday rejected calls for early elections and said the assemblies will be dissolved on June 5, 2018, after completing their constitutional tenure.
Iqbal, in the company of the PML-N leaders, said Pakistan is a democracy and the only NRO in the existing in the country is the one in the hands of the people.
The interior minister further said all political parties of the country had agreed that the provisional results of the census would be used to hold the next general elections and it is not possible to conduct next year's elections on the results of the 1998 census.
He said it would be unfair to the smaller provinces if the elections are held on the results of the '98 census.
Iqbal added that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will start preparing for the general elections after the passing of a Constitution amendment on November 10.
Again rubbishing the talk of early elections, the interior minister reiterated that political parties of the country need to accept the provisional results and move forward as there is no chance of early elections.
The interior minister elaborated that according to the provisional results, nine seats will be lessened from Punjab's share while KP will gain 5 seats. Balochistan will also gain 3 seats while Islamabad Capital Territory will also see an increase of a seat.
Referring to rumours of a technocrat setup, Iqbal said there is no space in the Constitution or the government for such an arrangement.
Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman also strongly rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's call for the dissolution of assemblies through a mutual consensus.
Earlier today, opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA) Khursheed Shah said that the PPP does not support the call for early elections in the country.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been advocating early elections in the country.
Moreover, the parliament is yet to pass a bill which will fulfill legal requirements for holding elections next year in light of the latest census.
The PTI and PPP, among other parties, want the delimitations bill to be discussed in the Council of Common Interests before it is made into law.
Political parties have yet to pass legislation on the delimitation of constituencies, deemed a constitutional necessity by the ECP, with regards to the holding of general elections next year.
