Law minister’s meeting with President ‘part of duties’: Solangi

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Monday asserted that caretaker law minister’s meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi was ‘part of his official duties’, ARY News reported.

President Dr Arif Alvi held another meeting with caretaker Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam for consultation on general elections in the country, ARY News reported.

According to a statement, the meeting was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad in continuation of the ongoing consultation process between the president and the interim government on the electoral process.

“The continuation of the consultation process with good intent will be positive for democracy in the country,” the president was quoted as saying in the statement.

Speaking to a private news channel today, the caretaker minister said that reiterated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce the date of general elections in the country.

“The incumbent government’s focus was on how to hold impartial, fair and transparent elections and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s role in that regard would also be crucial”, he added.

The minister said as the elections were being held according to the latest census data then the ECP was constitutionally authorised to fix the polling date.

Regarding the constituency delimitation process, Solangi said the ECP had published the schedule in that regard. Once the delimitation process completed, then the political parties would have 54 days to conduct their election campaigns, he added.

He expressed the caretaker government’s commitment to work closely with the Election Commission for creating a conducive atmosphere for political activities. It was their goal to leave the country in a better state for the next elected government, he added.

The caretaker government would hand over the reigns to the people’s elected representatives and there should be no ambiguity in that regard, he remarked.

To a question, Solangi said the last government had made amendments in the Election Act, empowering the caretaker setup to take certain significant decisions such as enforcing international agreements and obligations.

He reiterated the caretaker government’s commitment to fostering positive relationships with all political parties.

Murtaza Solangi stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was a duly registered political party and there was restriction on its participation in the electoral process.

He underlined that there was no discord among political stakeholders, as the current situation is notably favorable, with no visible signs of apprehension. The caretaker government’s primary objective was to ensure that the general election results were accepted by all the quarters concerned.

Solangi stressed that the ultimate choice of supporting a certain political party rested with the people.

Murtaza Solangi said the caretaker government was operating within the bounds of the law and the Constitution. “The concept of a caretaker setup is enshrined in parliamentary procedures, and its tenure is defined by constitutional regulations and bodies.”

Earlier, it was reported that the ECP decided to hold general elections in the second week of February 2024.

Sources privy to the development told ARY News that the election commission is likely to issue general elections schedule after December 2023. “The election schedule will be issued 54 days after the completion of the delimitation process,” said sources with ECP.