Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday that elections will be held simultaneously across the country on the completion of the constitutional term, Radio Pakistan reported.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which destroyed the economy and halted economic progress, will not return to power,” the minister added.

“PTI Chairman Imran Khan violated the constitution, dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and hatched the conspiracy of cipher for the sake of power,” she said.

Aurangzeb said Imran should not worry about the budget as now it will be made for the people and not for corrupt elements.

Supreme Court not to ‘sit idle’ if PTI-PDM negotiations fail: CJP

Her statement comes as the government and PTI have been locked in a standoff regarding holding when elections should be held. The PTI wants elections in Punjab and KP, where assemblies have been dissolved, to be held as soon as possible, but the government wants polls to be held later in the year and at the same time for all provinces as well as the National Assembly.

On Friday, the Supreme Court bench resumed the hearing of the petitions for holding elections the same day across the country.

The chief justice noted that no one has challenged their order to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

The chief justice further said; “We wanted the political forces to sit down and find out the solution of the present political crisis.”

PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the bench that they talked to the government but it bore no meaningful results and they don’t want further dialogue as “they do not see any way out.”

Khawaja Saad Rafique, appearing on behalf of the government’s negotiation team, said that no one wanted conflict between the institutions. He said the other side (the PTI) is not willing to show flexibility, despite the fact they (the government) have made an effort to reach an agreement, and it was also the Court’s desire that the matter be resolved through dialogue. Both sides have to be serious and come up with some solution.