PM wants polls under new census

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the general elections will need to be held on the basis of the new census. In an interview with a private news channel, the prime minister said, “We will now have to conduct the election under the new census. As soon as the results are completed, we will immediately call a meeting of the Council of Common Interests -- which is a legal requirement.”

Responding to whether he saw the elections being held on time under the new census, the prime minister said that unless there is an insurmountable obstacle -- which he said he could not see -- the elections will be held under the new census, adding that the ball [regarding the election date] will be in the ECP’s court.

Responding to a question related to the May 9 riots, PM Shehbaz said the May 9 events were a rebellion against the state of Pakistan, adding that a mob was instigated and provoked by Imran Khan to revolt against the state. “Imran planned and implemented [the May 9 riots].

The mob consisted of PTI workers, some retired officers and even some serving officers of the armed forces, as well as other people. This was naked aggression against the country and Imran Khan was leading it.”

The prime minister said that any arrest of Imran Khan will not be by the PM but by the institutions that are mandated with the right and duty to do so — under the law.