London meetings: Govt to approve strategy on economic crisis today

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) held a key party meeting in London on Wednesday to discuss “serious economic, constitutional and administrative crises inherited by the present government,” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said after the meeting.

The information minister said that another meeting was to be held on Thursday (today) when a strategy would be approved to salvage the country from the crises and final decisions would be announced on the same day with the support of the coalition partners.

The PML-N on Wednesday also decided that “elements violating the constitution” would be dealt with according to the constitution and law, Marriyum said, according to a statement issued by the party on its verified Twitter account.

“Consultations were held on various proposals for decisive action against elements violating the constitution. A meeting will be held tomorrow under the chairmanship of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for final decisions,” the statement said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a delegation of ministers to London where they met with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

They brief Nawaz Sharif on the serious crises inherited by the government.

The PML-N statement did not may any reference to the possibility of early elections. However, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who raised the prospect earlier in his interview with BBC Urdu said that the election would be held at the end of the five-year term for the National Assembly if the situation stabilized.

In the event of political uncertainty the election may be called earlier, he said.

PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, however, told a press conference in Karachi that elections would be held after electoral reforms and that he had “convinced” Nawaz Sharif on the issue in a phone call.

Earlier, another PPP leader Khurshid Shah called for early elections in an interview with SAMAA TV saying that fresh polls may help Pakistan avert a Sri Lanka-like crisis.

PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz Sharif also said that Shehbaz Sharif-led government should not shoulder the burden left by Imran Khan as the country was on the ventilator.

She said that it would take two or three years to revive the country’s economy.