ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) decided on Monday to gear up for the 2018 general elections by kick-starting their election campaign at the district-level.
The party’s newly constituted central executive committee met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who chaired the important meeting.
“We discussed in detail the party strategy for the upcoming general elections in 2018 and have decided to launch a campaign at the district level,” Senator Mushahidullah Khan told reporters after the meeting.
He added that the party president had directed them to start preparations for the elections at the earliest. The senator, however, did not mention if the ruling party was planning for early elections.
Meanwhile, veteran politician Javed Hashmi, who had left PML-N for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) before 2013 general elections, also met Nawaz Sharif before the meeting.
According to Senator Mushahidullah, Hashmi had not accepted the demand to formally rejoin the ruling party yet.
On the other hand, the disqualified premier directed his party to contact other political parties, especially the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) “in the greater interest of democracy.”
According to insiders, the two parties have been contacting each other at different levels, but PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was adamant to meet Nawaz Sharif publicly.
PPP chairman Bilalwal Bhutto Zardari on Monday had asked Nawaz to retire from politics since he had been disqualified by the country’s top court.
A certain section of the ruling camp wanted the polls to be held a few months in advance by dissolving assemblies soon after Senate elections in March next year.
It is pertinent to mention here that the current terms of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies would be completed in the last week of May and first week of June. If assemblies are dissolved then early polls would be held by August 2018.
In case the assemblies are dissolved early, elections have to be held within 90 days of their dissolution. In both cases the political weather would be unsuitable for the holding of early polls in the country.
In order to hold polls on one day, all assemblies should be dissolved simultaneously. Since, PPP rules Sindh and Imran Khan-led PTI had been running the affairs of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), early polls would only be possible if both these opposition parties agreed to go for early polls by dissolving the provincial assemblies.
The PTI had been demanding early elections, however, the PPP’s public stance was that elections should be held on time to ensure a smooth democratic transition.
When asked about holding elections on time, Senator Mushahidullah said, “Polls should be held on time in accordance with constitutional provisions.”