Pakistan to hold fresh general elections in October

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's ruling coalition and rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), former prime minister Imran Khan's party is set to hold talks on holding new general elections, with a date expected to be October 2022, according to local media sources.

Media, citing sources reported that the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N)-led government, all its allies and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, are set to hold discussions about a new general election date.

The discussion is to contain the current political and economic crisis. Sources said the date of the next general election is expected to be in October 2022.

According to sources, the Pakistani establishment is also going to mediate the talks that will be held between the government and the opposition.

After former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the Punjab by-election, PML-N leader and Home Minister Rana Sanaullah said early elections will be seen soon but the decision would be finalized only after talks with allies.

These remarks were made by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sanaullah at a press conference in Lahore. "The decision will be made after we present the matter before the parties," said the interior minister.

Local media reported that Imran Khan had earlier said that general elections should be held in the country under the supervision of a neutral Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), ANI reported.

Imran claimed that the current 'selected' government has been imposed on the general people through planning and conspiracy. He said that the elections should be held as soon as possible or democracy would face a major setback.

But polling should be conducted under the supervision of a qualified Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Khan added.

He dismissed allegations of incompetence by his previous government and said, "We had been hearing those remarks for three-and-a-half years. My only demand is to conduct the election under the chairmanship of a neutral CEC. Let the people decide [the country's fate]."

Further, he reiterated that the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been overthrown through a conspiracy and said that a commission headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan should be formed to investigate the matter.

"A sitting prime minister has been ousted through a conspiracy, therefore, all state institutions should look into the matter as it has turned out to be a huge setback for the country," the media outlet quoted him as saying.