Pakistan’s government completes first full term

Published on 21/03/2013 00:00

Pakistan will hold historic general elections on 11 May, a presidential spokesman said yesterday, after the government completed its first full term in the country’s troubled history.

A caretaker administration will manage the run-up to elections as the country struggles with Taleban violence, sectarian unrest, chronic power cuts and a fragile economy. Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani has vowed to keep the military out of politics.

Pakistanis have become frustrated with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party of president Asif Ali Zardari for its economic mismanagement and inability to ease Islamist militancy.