Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stated on Wednesday that the current government’s tenure would come to an end on August 14, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce a date for the next elections.
It was also reported that meetings between Pakistan's two ruling parties PML-N and PPP were held in the United Arab Emirates, where exiled politician Nawaz Sharif (brother of the current PM) was also present. These meetings purportedly resulted in a consensus on a number of issues, including names for the caretaker set-up and a power-sharing formula if the two parties win the next elections.
All the same, within the country there is a prevailing uncertainty regarding the timing of the polls. With the fact that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party's members are in prison and its chief Imran Khan facing over 180 court cases, tensions are running high within the political and armed forces circles.
In order to get clarity on the situation, Sputnik reached out to a former three-star military rank official in the Pakistan Air Force, who due to security concerns requested to stay anonymous.
Lack of Foreign Investments
He said that inflation is through the roof and Pakistan is facing issues importing raw materials for businesses as its dollar reserve is very low.
"A day will come when the country might not have any dollars to pay for oil. Sadly, no one is opening a letter of credit (LOC) as all of the foreign companies demand upfront payments," he said.
The official added that this lack of confidence from foreign investors is due to the political instability.
"The economic crisis is affecting every government institution in the country," he added.