Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a press conference in this undated picture. — AFP/Files

• PM says he will summon CCI meeting once census results come in.
• Premier Shehbaz says petrol price hike not in his control.
• “It is Election Commission’s responsibility to hold elections.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the upcoming general election would be held in the country based on the new digital census and at the same time dismissed suggestions that it would lead to a delay in the polls.

“Have to go in the elections based on new census. There has been a census [2023] so the polls should be based on it,” he said during an interview with a private news channel. 

The premier added that he would summon a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) — a body which includes chief ministers of all provinces — once the country results of the census come in.

On the polls, PM Shehbaz said: “It is the Election Commission’s responsibility and they will hold elections.” He, however, maintained that there is no reason for a delay in the election. 

The PM also said that the PDM government’s tenure would be completed on August 12 but his government will go before completing its stipulated time.

The statement is contrary to what Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said during Geo News’ show “Naya Pakistan” last month.

“The Council of Common Interests has to complete its term. If this new census is not notified by then, the elections will be held based on the previous census and delimitation,” he said. “The government has decided it will not notify this [new census] and when the assemblies will be dissolved after completing their terms, the Election Commission of Pakistan will be bound to conduct the elections on the basis of the previous census.” 

When asked if he meant the CCI would not notify the new census, Sanaullah said the government would not be notifying the census as it had “issues”.

The PM’s statement would also ease his allies, especially the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

Addressing a press conference, MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui — whose party is a stakeholder in the government — said the population of Karachi is around 30 million, which was about 14.9 million in the 2017 census, and his party would not accept figures less than this.

The MQM-P senior leader vowed to resist the move after the interior minister had announced that the government would not notify the recently concluded census as the results are not authentic and the ECP needs at least four months to complete the delimitation process.

Consultation with coalition partners, Nawaz Sharif

When asked about the caretaker prime minister, PM Shehbaz said that he would reach out to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz once he completes his consultations with the coalition partners and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

The premier was hopeful that Riaz and he would agree on a name for a caretaker prime minister.

“I hope the opposition leader and I will reach consensus on a non-controversial caretaker prime minister,” he said, adding that it is a constitutional matter. 

“If the matter is not decided in seven days, the names will go to the chief election commissioner.”

Last month, PM Shehbaz constituted a five-member committee of the PML-N to hold consultations on the selection of a caretaker premier and dissolution of the National Assembly, The News had reported.

Though the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan will also be dissolved along with the National Assembly next month, the panel has no members from outside Punjab.

The committee comprising federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has been tasked to undertake consultations with the political parties and groups which constitute the incumbent government.

With the formation of the committee, the consultation process has gained full swing for the immediate future setup of administration in the country.

According to constitutional provisions, the prime minister, as leader of the House, and the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly have to initiate consultations. Their failure could refer the matter to a parliamentary committee, which is supposed to be constituted by the NA speaker.

Meanwhile, the ECP will be the final authority to pick the caretaker prime minister if the parliamentary committee too fails in selecting a caretaker PM.

‘Petrol prices not in my control’

When PM Shehbaz was asked about the hike in petrol prices, he said that it is not in his control as it is based on the crude oil prices in the international market.

“Petrol price is based on international market prices. Unfortunately, the oil prices touched the sky in the international market this time.” 

He added that his Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was working on it since last night and he had no option but to increase the prices.

“Who wants to waste their political mileage, but this was the matter of the state. It is a condition of the IMF agreement, we cannot give subsidies except the ones mentioned in the budget,” the premier added.

He also was pressed about the oil prices as earlier today Finance Minister Dar announced a massive Rs19 per litre increase in the price of petrol and diesel, which he said was done in line with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demands.

The revised prices came into effect immediately.

The announcement was due on July 31, but the government did not issue new rates as the officials tried to maintain or reduce the rates — keeping in view the impact of the price hike on inflation-weary people.

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