ISLAMABAD    -    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the National Assembly will cease to exist on Aug 12 or 16 after which a caretaker set-up will be in place to hold elections. 

Speaking to media here on Thursday, Sanaullah said the po­litical temperature in the coun­try should be reduced so that di­alogue could be initiated to solve the issues. He held Imran Khan responsible for chaos and anar­chy in the country, claiming that he had worked 10 years for the purpose. Sanaullah stressed the need for “grand dialogue” to re­solve the crisis. Strategy should be devised for the dialogue, he added. Mere issuing a statement would not resolve the crisis, he maintained. The minister said terrorism had not yet wiped out from the country. “Terror­ists are still active today but our security forces are committed to eliminate them.” He claimed that a party had been trying to elimi­nate its opponents for the last 10 years, whether in the gov­ernment or in the opposition. That party was not ready to join hands with the opponents. “If date for election is announced, it would not sit on the table for talks,” he continued.

Sanaullah said the decision of the Supreme Court would be re­spected. He endorsed the deci­sion of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone polls. “It took the decision keep­ing in view prevailing situation of the country and the move is con­stitutionally and legally correct.” He claimed that Imran Khan dis­solved the assemblies so that the elections could be held before time. He wanted to hold elec­tions in phases that was not good for the country. It would plunge the country deeper into anarchy, he continued. General elections would be held in the country on Oct 8, he concluded.