The Presidential Palace of Pakistan announced late on the 9th that President Alvi has officially approved the dissolution of the National Assembly (lower house of parliament). The announcement states that Alvi approved the proposal submitted by Prime Minister Shabaz on the same day to dissolve the current National Assembly, marking the official dissolution of the current government. Earlier on the 9th, Shabaz delivered a speech to the National Assembly, stating that he would hold consultations with the opposition leader of the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, on the 10th and jointly decide on the candidate for the caretaker Prime Minister within the 3-day period stipulated by the constitution. The Prime Minister of the caretaker government will be responsible for forming a caretaker cabinet to handle national affairs before the next National Assembly and government are formed. The current Pakistani National Assembly was sworn in on August 13, 2018, with a term of 5 years. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, due to the dissolution of the National Assembly three days before the end of its statutory term, elections for the National Assembly should be held within 90 days. As of now, the Central Election Commission of Pakistan has not announced the election date for the next National Assembly. (New News Agency)