No support or opposition to any party in electoral process: PM Kakar

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar has said that Pakistan will soon enter in the electoral process.

In an interview to Turkish TRT television, interim PM discussed the country’s upcoming elections in January and its economic challenges.

“I am assuring of completely fair, free and transparent elections as no specific group will be opposed or supported in the electoral process on administrative level,” Kakar told TRT.

He said, “peaceful protest is the right of every political party and we will protect this right of peaceful protest”. “But violent protests could not be allowed,” he added.

Replying a question, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said that delimitation of constituencies was a constitutional requirement, “we have to follow the law and the constitution,” he further said. “Any objection over delimitation process was possible during legislation in the parliament,” he said. “The election commission could not commit an unconstitutional act,” he maintained.

On a question interim PM said that the Chairman PTI himself withdrew from his ‘US conspiracy’ narrative. “Politicians at a time behave like this to win public support,” he said. “His narrative of ‘regime change’ was unbelievable”. Pakistan is a sovereign state, and we take decisions in the best interest of the people,” Kakar said.

“We will assure that no foreign power could interfere in the country,” he said. “It was the maiden instance when a prime minister was removed from power with a constitutional procedure,” he further said. “There is a constitutional procedure to form a government or remove it,” he added.

On a question with regard to the military’s role in the government, Pakistan’s interim prime minister said, “Unfortunately, civil institutions were failed to perform in previous four decades,” he remarked.

“Military is an organized institution; we require its assistance in various matters. The military cooperates when governance affected in natural disasters or any other challenge,” he said. “We have to enhance capabilities of civilian institutions,” he added.

PM Kakar said that Pakistan has taken security measures after cross border attacks. “There is absence of an elected government in Afghanistan, but a warring group rules the country,” he said.

“We have raised the issue of TTP attacks with Afghan Taliban administration. We are not intending to complicate existing state of Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan,” he said.

“It is a misconception that Pakistan had backed the Afghan Taliban rule. The outlawed TTP have bases in Afghanistan. Afghan government should halt attacks on Pakistan from its border,” Kakar said. “Pakistan had played pivotal role in talks between the United States and Afghanistan,” he said.

Interim PM said that Pakistan has sacrificed 90 thousand lives in the war against terrorism, it condemns each form of terrorism. “We will defend our country and people,” he maintained.

“We want to move ahead by learning lessons from past mistakes. Pakistan passing through economic and social difficulties, but these hardships are temporary, we are focusing on improvement of the conditions,” he added.