Surprised statement by PM;Election to be held on new census
Pakistan ready to talk to India as wars are no solution to issues, says PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has surprised by stating that the upcoming general elections would be conducted based on the 2023 digital census.
He expressed optimism about a possible meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI), the body responsible for approving census results.
Notably, the government is due to complete its term on August 12.
It is also worth noting that PM Shehbaz’s stance differs from that of his ministers, who had indicated that the upcoming elections would be based on the 2017 census.
This decision had triggered a response from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a ruling ally in the Centre. The MQM-P contended that Karachi’s population was undercounted in the new census.
To address the concerns of the MQM-P, PM Shehbaz held a meeting with its leaders and assured them that any decision on the matter would be made after consulting with all coalition partners.
Besides this, in May, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it will conduct the next national polls based on the census of 2017.
The commission said the elections will be held on the delimitation undertaken on August 5, 2022 and that it has completed preparations for voter lists.
This decision was taken due to a delay in the issuance of final results of the new digital census.
During a recorded interview on the Aaj News show ‘Sawal Yeh Hai’, aired on Tuesday, the premier emphasised the importance of holding the elections based on the new census data.
He mentioned that unless there was an obstacle, the polls should be conducted according to the census results.
PM Shehbaz Sharif asserted that once the census results are finalised, they would be referred to the CCI promptly.
However, he also acknowledged that the final decision in this regard would rest with ECP.
Earlier,
Pakistan is ready to talk to India as wars were no solution to the issues,
Addressing the inaugural session of Pakistan Minerals Summit in Islamabad on Tuesday, Shehbaz Sharif, without naming India, said that they were ready to talk to their neigbhours, if there were serious matters on the table as wars were no solution to issues.
