Pakistan dissolved its national assembly late Wednesday evening on the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, laying the groundwork for a general election in the midst of political upheaval and an ongoing economic crisis.
The parliament dissolution has cleared the way for a caretaker administration to oversee elections in which former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be unable to participate.
Khan was sentenced to jail after found guilty of corruption in one of several charges filed against him after he is removed from power in April 2022.
The outgoing administration in Pakistan has been given three days to appoint a new interim prime minister and 90 days to hold general elections, according to the country’s president. The outgoing government, however, has warned that the polls may be postponed until next year.
According to media reports, the Pakistani government is considering postponing the elections in order to address security and political concerns that threaten to destabilize an already economically-weak country.
The insecurity in Pakistan has also put the US on high alert.
“We’re obviously concerned about any actions, particularly violent actions — that can contribute to instability in Pakistan or, frankly, any other country with whom we share a set of common interests when it comes to counterterrorism,” said White House official John Kirby said, as quoted by news agency AFP.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won most number of seats in the country’s 2018 general elections. Three days later, the former cricketer was sworn in as Prime Minister.
With general elections on the horizon, Pakistan’s military, which has staged at least three successful coups since 1947, casts its shadow on the conflict-torn country once more.
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