ISLAMABAD: The coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday decided to complete its term and not call early elections in the country, after having suffered a massive defeat by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Punjab by-polls.
Former PM Imran Khan’s PTI party secured 15 out of 20 Punjab Assembly seats on Sunday, in what was seen as a popularity test for both the ruling and opposition parties.
After the by-poll sweep, Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April, has renewed his call for an early election in the South Asian country.
However, the Sharif government has decided to complete its term until August next year.
“God willing, the federal government will complete its term and take all measures for the betterment of the country,” Railways Minister Saad Rafique said at a press conference in Lahore.
“One should avoid spreading ambiguity and rumors in this regard.”
Rafique, who was flanked by leaders of coalition parties, said they knew well how to back off and save their politics, but assumed the difficult charge of running the government in the “larger interest” of Pakistan.
“The by-polls are not a barometer of popularity. We have won five of your seats in it; our votes have increased,” he said. “Our voted bank is intact. No one should have any misunderstanding.”
Akram Khan Durrani, a member of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl, said the coalition government knew had Khan remained in power, the country would have defaulted.
Mohsin Dawar, chairman of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), said it was encouraging to see that free and fair elections were now taking place in the country.
The joint press conference followed a high-level meeting called by PM Sharif in Lahore. It was attended by top leaders of the allied parties, including Asif Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
