Late yesterday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reported that, at his request, President Arif Alvi had dissolved the National Assembly, after which Sharif and a member of the opposition from the outgoing parliament were to begin discussions today to pick a caretaker government and hold elections within 90 days. The call to dissolve the National Assembly came just three days before the official end of its five-year term on Aug. 12.
This is taking place in a situation of great turmoil in Pakistan. The economic situation is very fragile, exacerbated by the government’s imposition of deep austerity measures demanded by the IMF as a condition for a $3 billion bailout. The jailing of the popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan for three years and his banning from politics for five years have added to the instability.
