ISLAMABAD: Rejecting demands by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for early polls, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that general elections will not be held before 2018.

The PTI has been holding countrywide anti-government demonstrations in protest of the government’s alleged corruption and rigging in the 2013 general elections. The opposition party has been demanding that Nawaz step down as the country’s prime minister, paving way for an ‘independent inquiry’ into electoral rigging and subsequent elections.

The prime minister’s statement comes as the PTI gears up again to hold what it promises as a landmark rally in the capital on Nov 30.

Also read: Govt looking to frustrate PTI’s Nov 30 show

In an official statement issued from the PM House in Islamabad today, Nawaz said that all political forces have stakes in the democratic system.

“We all know that loyalty to the constitution is an imperative for us, and it is no more an issue of choice,” he said.

“No system is perfect but constitution and parliamentary democracy are the only tools to remove imperfections in the existing system.”

The prime minister said that 2018 would be the year for Pakistanis to judge parties on the basis of their performance, and that they would have the chance to vote any party in or out.

Nawaz further vowed that his party would have achieved a prospering Pakistan when it enters election mode in 2018.