Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi revealed Saturday that he had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a deal for early elections involving both the coalition government and Irman Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
«But all efforts have failed,» explained Alvi from Punjab in statements reported by the Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’. Alvi defended the need to call elections in view of the climate of political crisis in the country.
In this sense, he explained that he is in contact with «the institutions that can play an effective role in resolving these issues».
In particular, he is working to improve the relations between Jan and the system after the criticism of the latter that targeted the Government and a high official of the secret services for the recent assassination attempt he has suffered.
Jan, who in April became the first Pakistani leader to be removed in a no-confidence motion, was disqualified in late October by the election commission for failing to declare money from the sale of gifts and presents received from international leaders when he was at the head of the government.
His departure from office was followed by a growing political tension marked by scandals of transfuguism and massive protests in favor and against the Prime Minister, denounced by the opposition alliance of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as a «puppet» of the Army. The Armed Forces are considered to be the most powerful force in Pakistan since its independence from the British Raj in 1947.
