ISLAMABAD: A number of key cabinet ministers on Tuesday expressed the confidence that the upcoming general ele­ctions would be held on time, and that there was no disagreement between the go­­vernment and the military on this issue.

Speaking at a dinner he hosted for the diplomatic corps in Islamabad, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday hoped that timely general elections will lead to political stability, which was an essential prerequisite for economic stability and development in the country.

“We are heading into elections and as with many countries represented here today, we too are experiencing heightened partisanship and heightened polarisation in the lead-up to our elections. But I am confident or optimistic, hopefully not naive, that after we conduct these elections in a timely manner, we will be able to return to a sense of political stability,” he remarked.

He also hoped that the people of Pakistan will get to make a choice in the upcoming elections.

“They will get to choose between politicians or political parties that feed off the politics of hate, division and the politics of vendetta, or those politicians that offer a message of hope, that offer a message of unity and have a sense of purpose and a desire to deliver,” he noted.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari, who also heads the PPP, underlined the need to strengthen institutions, that any government needs to deploy in order to deliver.

Separately speaking Def­ence Minister Khawaja Asif made it clear that the government and the army were on the same page regarding elections.

“The relationship between the military and civilian leaderships is smooth right now. Decisions are made through mutual discussion. In the recent IMF deal, the military played a vital role considering the political turbulence in the country,” he said.

When asked about the end of the assemblies’ tenure, Mr Asif said assemblies will be dissolved a day or two before the due time for elections to take place within 90 days.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the assemblies would complete their constitutional term, and the next step would be to hold elections within the next 60 or 90 days. He clarified that 90 days does not necessarily mean that polls would be held on the 90th day, but simply within the 90-day period.

“It is just to give comfort to people to file nomination papers, and for the hearing of appeals,” he said when asked why the government wanted to extend the period by seeking early dissolution of the assemblies.