ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called for political stability in Pakistan, saying it was a “basic condition” to rescue people from soaring inflation, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan threatens to dissolve provincial assemblies to force early general elections in the country.
Political instability in Pakistan has made matters worse for a country whose foreign exchange reserves are enough to roughly cover a month’s worth of imports. To make matters worse, the ninth review of Pakistan’s loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has remained stalled since September.
Devastating floods in mid-June wreaked havoc across the country, covering large swathes of land at one point in time. Over 1,700 people were killed while critical infrastructure was swept away and damaged by the floodwaters. Pakistan estimates losses from the floods to be around $30 billion.
Amid the chaos, former PM Khan has threatened to dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provincial assemblies where his party is in power. By dissolving the assemblies, Khan aims to force the government to declare early elections in the country, a demand PM Sharif has repeatedly rejected.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declared political stability as a basic condition required to rescue people from inflation,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
In a veiled dig at Khan and his PTI party, the premier said that if anyone wanted Pakistan to default on its international debt, it would not happen. “Those who laid mines in the foundations of our economy are now plotting to lay mines in the foundations of our political system,” he said.
He said “political miscreants” wanted to spread chaos and tell the world not to invest in Pakistan, adding that they also didn’t want flood victims to settle in their homes.
“There remains no doubt that economic destruction was brought about according to an agenda,” he said. “Political instability is a continuation of that [agenda].”
“Those who shattered the public’s trust are now [speaking of] dissolving assemblies,” he said. “The purpose is to create political instability.”
Khan, who is scheduled to hold a power show in Lahore’s Liberty Market on Saturday evening, is expected to announce a date for the dissolution of the provincial assemblies today.
The government has said it would contest elections for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if the PTI moves forward with its decision to dissolve the provincial assemblies. However, it has said general elections across the country would be held late next year as per schedule.
