The reports came hours after the president met interim Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam on Monday. Reports from the meeting said that the two discussed general elections in the country.

However, the reports added that the law minister, the attorney general and the president’s own legal team have advised him against announcing the date as it could create a legal and political crisis in the country. The law minister reportedly told the president that the power to announce the date lay with the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The president has also been told it could create economic uncertainty at a time when the country’s economy is beginning to recover.

The presdient has the power to announce elections under Article 48 of the consitutition. However, the outgoing government amended the Election Act, giving the power to announce the date to the ECP alone.

President Alvi had recently invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja for consultations over elections. However, the CEC had curtly replied that since the assemblies had been dissolved before their tenure expired, the right to announce the date lay exclusively with the commission.

During the impasse over the elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, President Alvi had fixed election date on May 14. However, the decision could never be implemented as the government cited a lack of funds for the ECP.