State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem said no date has been set for the general elections and decision will be taken after assemblies complete their term during the current month. Speaking to CNN, the minister expressed the hope that the decision of emergency taken by government will be provisional and temporary.
About declaration of emergency, the minister said, "We had a choice. It was either we had an unstable country ruled by extremists or have a stable country with some restrictions placed on democracy."
To a question, the minister said no decision has been taken to defer the elections. He said the National Assembly would complete its tenure for the first time in the history of the country on November 16. The provincial assemblies will complete their tenure on November 24.
Once the assemblies complete their term, the government would plan to hold new elections for those assemblies, the minister said.