Pakistan's federal gov't to step down on Aug. 9: prime minister

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the country's federal government will step down on August 9, following which a caretaker setup will take charge till the next general elections.

Sharif made the remarks when he paid a farewell visit to the Pakistan Army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi, a neighboring city of the capital Islamabad, and met relatives of the soldiers who got killed or injured during terrorist incidents in the country.

The government step-down will come as a result of the dissolution of the National Assembly or the lower house of the parliament which directly elects the federal government. The National Assembly will be dissolved on August 9, three days ahead of the completion of its five-year term on August 12, according to the prime minister.

Sharif said he would send advice to the President of the country for the dissolution of the assembly on Wednesday, and if the President does not approve it, the assembly will be dissolved automatically after 48 hours.

The prime minister and opposition leader Raja Riaz Ahmad will have a meeting on Wednesday morning to finalize the name of a caretaker prime minister, who will choose his cabinet for a period of three months or until the formation of the next elected government.

According to the country's constitution, if the national assembly is dissolved ahead of its scheduled time, the general elections should be held within 90 days under the supervision of the caretaker setup.

(CGTN)