ISLAMABAD: Top leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party insisted on Monday the coalition government would not call early elections and complete its tenure after the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 15 out of 20 provincial assembly seats in Punjab by-elections on Sunday.

The by-polls were held after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified 25 lawmakers belonging to former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party for switching loyalties and voting for Hamza Shehbaz in an April election for the chief minister’s slot.

The ECP announced fresh polls on 20 general seats as five of the disqualified members were elected on reserved seats for women and religious minorities.

The outcome of the recent by-polls led to speculations of fresh elections in Pakistan which is currently facing significant political and economic uncertainty. 
However, the possibility of new elections was ruled out by top PML-N leaders on Monday during their appearance on local news channels.

“We will not go into early elections,” former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said during an interview with Samaa TV. “The government will complete its tenure.”

Asked if it would not become increasingly difficult for the government to survive even for the next few months, the PML-N leader said the coalition would “remain in power until August 17, 2023.”

Abbasi said Pakistan had always faced political uncertainty, adding the best remedy to it was the performance of the government.

Pakistan’s finance minister Miftah Ismail also told News One that the government was still in a position to complete its tenure after losing the Punjab by-elections.

He said it was too early to say how the situation was going to unfold in province, adding it depended on the voting pattern of provincial lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) party.

Ismail said the PML-N “only needed six more votes” to save Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab chief minister.

Despite the ruling party’s insistence that it will not call early elections, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited top leaders of all coalition parties at his residence in Lahore on Tuesday to discuss the current political situation.

According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the PML-N founding leader, Nawaz Sharif, is also expected to join the meeting through video link from London to discuss the coalition’s future course of action.