Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday suggested the possibility of dissolving the provincial legislature on August 11 to facilitate the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by providing it three months to hold polls.
The tenure of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies is set to expire on August 12 and meetings are under way between the coalition partners for the caretaker set-up.
Commenting on the Sindh Assembly’s imminent dissolution CM Shah said: “The Sindh Assembly will automatically dissolve on the 12th [of August] at midnight. We took our oath on Aug 13, 2018, and if we don’t dissolve it then it will automatically do so on Aug 12.
“I’ve been getting some news and have had some discussions that the ECP wants three months for hold ing elections … if we think polls will be held in three months then we will dissolve the assembly a day earlier on the 11th [of August] … I will advise the governor to do so and he will accept it the same day.”
He reiterated that the assembly would dissolve as per schedule if the ECP required two months for conducting elections.
Otherwise, he added, the provincial legislature could be dissolved on Aug 11 to facilitate the electoral watchdog by granting it three months.
