Reports on Tuesday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party have agreed to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8 — four days before the NA completes its five-year term. The move would allow the caretaker government to stay in power for an other month before the country goes to the general election.

However, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb later played down the reports, saying no decision had been made.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also said that he had not received a ‘telegram’ regarding the development yet.

The National Assembly is set to complete its tenure on August 12.

Dissolving the assembly before time will mean that elections will have to be held within 90 days. If the assembly completed its tenure, elections would have had to be held within 60 days.

The government hopes to have more time to prepare for the elections, which the August 8 date will allow.

Sources said that provincial assemblies in Sindh and Balochistan will also be dissolved at the same time.

Sources said that the date was proposed by the PPP.

A summary for the dissolution of the assembly will be sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. President Arif Alvi can legally keep the summary on hold for two days, until assemblies are automatically dissolved.

As the assembly is dissolved, the prime minister and the opposition leader will have to consult and decide a caretaker prime minister to oversee the period going towards elections.

However, the agreement for assembly dissolution on August 8 is between the PPP and PML-N only and multiple other allies in the Pakistan Democratic Movement will have to be convinced.

The issue of the census could also come into play in the elections. While the rules say that elections must be held as per the last census, things might be complicated by the fact that a census is currently underway.

Latest changes to election rules also mean that the selection and announcement of an election date is now the Election Commission of Pakistan’s right.