Pakistan: National Assembly to Dissolve for Polls

Facts

• On Wednesday, Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif asked Pres. Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly to make way for the general elections under an interim government.¹
• The announcement comes after former PM Imran Khan was barred by the Election Commission of Pakistan from contesting any polls for the next five years, after he was convicted for "corrupt practices" last week.²
• Sharif was one of the initiators of a no-confidence motion that ended Khan's tenure in April 2022. While Sharif became the PM, Khan was imprisoned for three years.³
• Pakistani Parliament's five-year term expires on August 12, but Sharif's move would dissolve it three days earlier. However, for the dissolution to take place, Alvi must approve Sharif's recommendation and elections must be held within 90 days.⁴
• Circumstances are further complicated by the results of a recent census, as the 90-day limit could be delayed until spring if Pakistan's election commission decides to redraw the constituencies based on information it has provided.⁵
• Meanwhile, Sharif — whose 16-month term was marked by political unrest and economic turmoil — is yet to finalize the name of the caretaker PM.¹

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²South China Morning Post, ³Atalayar, ⁴The Straits Times, and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. Imran Khan's arrest is illegal and politically motivated. The accusations against him are entirely fabricated; his opponents are pursuing 80 different cases against him — including completely baseless allegations of murder, sedition, blasphemy, and terrorism — hoping that something will stick. Sharif wants to remove Khan from the electoral contest because he fears his popularity among voters.
• Narrative B, as provided by Geo News. The arrest of Imran Khan is not politically motivated; he is legitimately being accused of theft and corruption. Khan's denial of every accusation merely demonstrates his desire to avoid accountability in every way. His case has been investigated thoroughly, and the verdict followed due process. The ex-PM's five-year disqualification from politics is a fair and just outcome.