Islamabad: President Dr Arif Alvi on late Wednesday assented to the premature dissolution of the National Assembly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif forwarded the summary.
“The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution,” read an official statement issued by the President’s Office on X.
With the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, the federal cabinet also stood dissolved.
Earlier, in his farewell address to the NA, PM Shehbaz termed his 16-month tenure as the toughest trial of his life during his 38 years of political career when the country was faced with inflation, skyrocketing oil prices and political turmoil.
Just hours before sending advice to President Alvi for the dissolution of the National Assembly, the prime minister expressed heartfelt gratitude to a diverse array of political parties, underscoring their pivotal support and guidance during the challenging term of 16 months.
PM Shehbaz told the House that the 16-month tenure was the shortest ever period for a government particularly when compared to the plethora of issues inherited from the previous regime.
Besides other unsuitable conditions, the coalition government also had to face other massive challenges like the worst floods and the signing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal which was breached by the previous government to hurt national integrity.
He said through its poor conduct and episodes like the “cipher drama” the previous government undermined foreign relations, including with the United States, besides carrying out defamatory propaganda against political opponents.
