LAHORE: The government has not taken the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf into confidence over electoral reforms and formation of an interim government, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday.

Talking to media outside the Multan district courts after appearing in a case, Mr Qureshi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was now hinting at the dissolution of assemblies before completion of their term so that elections could be pushed back by 30 days.

The Constitution stipulates elections must be held within 60 days if the assemblies are dissolved upon completion of their term, but if the legislatures are dissolved before the term ends, polls can be held after 90 days.

The PTI leader said holding of elections within 90 days should be made mandatory and it should be left to the Election Commission to come up with a date.

“The prime minister’s meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari at Model Town (Lahore) last week has left us with no doubt that they have virtually decided to dissolve the assemblies before time,” Mr Qureshi observed.

He criticised the Pakis­tan Muslim League-N for holding meetings with the Peoples Party in Dubai to discuss formation of an interim government without informing even its partners in the ruling coalition.

He was apparently referring to a statement by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman last week in which he complained the PML-N had not consulted its allies before the Dubai huddle.

“It seems Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Zardari had deliberated on matters pertaining to the caretaker setup and other issues, but we (PTI) are in the dark about the outcome of these consultations.”

Mr Qureshi recalled that a parliamentary committee was formed under the chairmanship of Ayaz Sadiq to propose electoral reforms, but it was not known whether the body had come up with any proposal or not.

He said organisations like the Free and Fair Election Network deserved to be heard during deliberations for amendments to electoral laws.

In reply to a question, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition would have to reach an agreement on formation of an interim government, but it was “unfortunate that Raja Riaz (the Opposition Leader in National Assembly) is trying to secure a PML-N ticket by any means”.

“He is going to en­­dorse whatever interim setup is decided by the prime minister.”

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023