Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Calls for More Democracy as Parliament is Dissolved

Islamabad, May 31: Outgoing Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday made an appeal to uphold and protect democracy in the country during the closing session of the Parliament, which completed its full term for only the second time in the country's 71-year-old history.

The country is set to hold general and provincial elections on July 25, with around 105 million people registered to vote, according to the Election Commission.

"Pakistan's issues can only be resolved through a government which comes through the will of the people," said Abbasi, reported Efe.

"We did experiments in the past but a non-representative government can never solve the problems," said the Prime Minister of a nation which has been ruled by a military junta for more than half of its independent history.

His Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, in a Twitter post, also hailed the Parliament completing its tenure, calling it a "success-story for democracy".

Pakistan's first handover of power between two parliaments took place in 2013, when the Pakistan People's Party-led government ended its term and the subsequent elections saw the PML-N come to power.

However, neither of the Prime Ministers elected during the two governments could finish their full terms.

The leader of Opposition, Syed Khursheed Shah, also praised the completion of the term although he stressed that there was a need to further strengthen democracy in the country.

After the dissolution of the Parliament on Thursday night, an interim government led by former Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk will govern the country until the elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2018 06:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).