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Imran Khan gives deadline to Shehbaz Sharif government for early elections in Pakistan

New DelhiEdited By: Sayan GhoshUpdated: Dec 12, 2022, 03:33 PM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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While the opposition parties have been calling for early elections, the Pakistan government has not paid any attention to their demands. Sharif has maintained that elections will not be held ahead of time. 

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued a deadline for the current government to hold fresh elections. Imran said on Monday that if the Shehbaz Sharif-led government does not announce early elections, his party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf – will dissolve two regional legislative assemblies. 

This is the latest move by Imran who had earlier urged the government to hold meetings with the opposition regarding a possible early election. If the PTI dissolves the local governments, it will force the Election Commission to hold local elections in those two regions – something that happens alongside the general elections. Officially, the tenure of Sharif’s government will end in August 2023. 

“They’re delaying elections just because they are fearful of defeat. We’ll win whenever they’re held," Imran Khan had said earlier during a public address according to The Dawn. 

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to share the deadline set by his party. 

While the opposition parties have been calling for early elections, the Pakistan government has not paid any attention to their demands. Sharif has maintained that elections will not be held ahead of time. 

Meanwhile, Sharif has issued a statement on Twitter regarding the rocket fire from Taliban forces on a border crossing with Pakistan that led to the death of six civilians. In the Twitter post, the Pakistan PM demanded that “the Afghan Interim government should ensure that such incidents are not repeated." 

"Pakistan has also approached Afghan authorities at Kabul to highlight (the) severity of the situation and demanded strict action to obviate any such recurrence of the incident in future," the Pakistan military said. 

(With inputs from agencies)